Mending Broken Hearts
by Joe's girl
Summary: An AU story about Jack, Tony and Bill after day 7. Events after 8pm,Day 7 have to be ignored. What happens to heroes after the gunfire ends and the terrorists are dead or arrested? How do they pick up and move on? Also starring Audrey, Karen, Renee, Larry
1. Chapter 1: Jack

_Welcome to my AU version of what happens after Day 7. The twists and turns that the writers have given us have been great this year, but I have my own ideas of what should happen in Day 7 and how it should end. My Day 7 follows along with the show for about the first 12 hours. After that, the events on the show are largely unimportant. I go AU at that point. Jack, Tony and Bill all survive the day and are all heroes. This is the story of what happens to our heroes after Day 7 ends and they have to put their lives back together. Who will they turn to for help?_

_Disclaimer: I don't lay claim to any of the characters that you know and love. They all belong to Fox. I may bring in an original character later in the story, in which case, that one is my creation._

MENDING BROKEN HEARTS

Chapter 1: Jack

Jack circled the block for the third time. He felt conspicuous; as if everyone were watching him. But, in fact, parking on this residential street in Georgetown was so hard to come by that circling the block three, four, five times was commonplace. No one would give a second thought to the black SUV rounding the corner yet again. Jack eyed his destination warily. It was the third brownstone townhouse from the end of the street. As he passed it for the third time he slowed down almost imperceptibly. If someone had asked him if he had slowed down, he would have denied it. Lessening the pressure on the gas pedal was an unconscious movement or maybe better described as a _subconscious_ movement. He glanced at the residence. The solid front door was closed and the curtains drawn just like its neighbors on the right and left. There was nothing suspicious about that. The late afternoon sun was low in the sky and the western exposure of the houses resulted in their getting an inordinate amount of sun at this time of day.

Jack made another right turn at the first corner past the brownstone and began to rethink his position. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. It felt right earlier when he climbed into his car and began driving, but now that he was here it no longer felt right. He sighed and increased his speed with every intention of going straight as he neared the end of the block and leaving the neighborhood. That was his plan until he saw the backup lights on a parked car near the end of the block. The driver put on his left turn signal to make it clear that he was leaving the parking space and moving into the flow of traffic. _It's now or never,_ Jack thought. He responded by putting on his right turn signal to indicate that he was taking the soon-to-be vacant spot.

Jack waited for the driver to pull out and then drove just slightly past the space, put the car into reverse and easily slipped the big SUV into a space just big enough to accommodate it. He straightened the vehicle carefully and checked his distance from the curb twice. He turned off the satellite radio that he hadn't really been listening to. He checked to make sure the headlights were turned off and adjusted all three rearview mirrors. Anything to stall for time. He finally got out of the car and stepped over to the sidewalk. He felt naked. He had no back up. No perimeter had been set up. He didn't need one. The house he was staking out didn't belong to a dangerous criminal. No devious mind was sitting inside thinking up ways to kill innocent people. The house belonged to Audrey Raines.

Jack walked hesitantly along the street. His movements were usually purposeful, but not today. He thought about what had happened in the last two days and why he was here. It was a little more than 24 hours since Jack had made his way back to his apartment from the White House. Henry Taylor was in intensive care but doctors were optimistic that he was going to live. Dubaku and Juma were dead and the names of the conspirators in the government were known. Most of them had been arrested. Federal warrants had been issued against those that hadn't yet been arrested and FBI and DC Metro police were busy chasing them down and bringing them in. It would probably be several days before they were all apprehended. But at this point, Jack was off the hook. He was free to go; free to live his life. That was all thanks to Bill Buchanan. It was Bill who sat down with President Taylor and negotiated pardons for Jack, Tony, Chloe, Renee and himself. The Attorney General wasn't happy, but President Taylor overruled him. In the end, the agreement, in the language Bill put forth originally, was signed, sealed and delivered. Jack Bauer, Bill Buchanan, Tony Almeida, Chloe O'Brian and Renee Walker left the White House with no fear of prosecution.

Jack, like the others, had gone home and collapsed on his bed. He had been awake for a little over 30 hours and he was dog tired. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but he ached from head to toe and carried more bruises than he cared to count. Without bothering to shower or even undress, Jack went to sleep. Almost eleven hours later, at 2 a.m. he woke up disoriented and with his stomach growling menacingly. It took a few minutes to regain his senses and remember all that had gone on the previous day. Once he did, he dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen.

Like most bachelors, Jack didn't spend much time cooking, thus he didn't spend much time shopping for groceries. As he opened nearly empty cupboards he made a mental note to do a better job keeping his pantry stocked. He couldn't help but notice the beer in the refrigerator but thought better of it, grabbed the orange juice and closed the refrigerator door. He stood for a moment with the refrigerator door handle still in his grasp and thought again about the beer. He had to admit it; the thought of alcohol was more than a little appealing. Instead of opening the refrigerator door, he sighed and walked away. He feared that drinking alone after all he had been through would result in him finishing a six-pack and more. And as attractive as it was at the moment, dulling his senses with alcohol was useless. He had learned that long ago.

After eating his middle of the night snack, Jack headed off to the shower. He stripped off clothes that felt like they were plastered to him and stepped into the hot stream of water. The water cascaded over his aching body and by the time he got out of the shower, he had to admit that he felt almost human. He dressed in clean sweat pants and a tee shirt and laid back down on his bed hoping to catch up on more sleep. It was, after all, still only 4:30 in the morning. But sleep eluded him as the ugliness of the last two days ran through his mind. He didn't try and stop it. There was no point to that. He had learned long ago that it was better to allow his thoughts the freedom to roam than to try and bottle them up. If he did that, they would find a way to haunt him. They would come back to him in his sleep or weeks and months and years later when he was trying to relax or enjoy a moment. No, it was better to allow himself to think it through now and give his brain a chance to process it all. He had done this enough times to know that in a couple of hours his mind would start wandering to different places and before he knew it, he would be thinking of something all together different. So no matter how ugly it was, no matter how much it hurt, he gave in and gave his mind the room to think it all through.

It all went as he expected and about three hours later, Jack's mind had cleared. Unfortunately, what he was thinking now was, in many ways, more distressing than the thoughts of the terrorist attack. Now he was thinking about himself and his current situation. Until two days ago, his life had been focused on the Senate investigation and the possible charges and trial that could ensue. Now that that was behind him, there was a sudden void in his life. Not that he was unhappy that the Senate investigation was over. To the contrary, he was thrilled, but nonetheless, it left him with a lot of empty time and a general lonely feeling. It was then that his thoughts turned in a direction he had avoided for the last four years. He began to think about Audrey. He wondered where she was and how she was doing. He wondered if she hated him for deserting her when she most needed him. He wondered if there was any chance that she still loved him the way he loved her.

It was pointless to lie in bed wondering about things he couldn't answer, so Jack got out of bed and tried to find something, anything else to think about. Only it didn't work. There simply was nothing else for him to think about. He sat down in front of his computer and pretended to interest himself in the news but soon found himself doing what he long ago promised himself that he would not do. He was searching for Audrey.

The search was brief and fruitful. Audrey lived in Washington; in Georgetown to be specific. Which wasn't much of a surprise since she had always loved Washington, and Georgetown was her favorite section of the city. Within a half hour he found a street address, cell phone number and where she worked. It was tough to remain anonymous in the information age especially when the person looking for you had above average understanding of how to perform such a search. Chloe had taught him more than the basics and there was almost nobody that Chloe couldn't find. A little more searching and Jack determined that she hadn't remarried. That, of course, didn't mean that she didn't have a boyfriend.

Armed with all of this information, Jack had to decide what to do about it. That was this morning. Now, standing less than half a block from Audrey's house, Jack still wasn't sure what to do with it. What he did know was that he couldn't just walk away. He had to see her. He had to say hello and let her know that he still cared. If she didn't return that affection, if she was involved with someone else or worse, if she hated him, well, he would just have to live with that. Jack continued his trek. And that's what it was. It was no simple walk around the block. It was a trek; a journey into the unknown.

Finally he stood at the door. There was no turning back now. He rang the bell and waited. It was only a few seconds before the door opened and all that stood between the two of them was the glass panel of the storm door. Jack stared at her. Audrey was still beautiful. Her blond hair was cut about jaw-length and layered. The shorter layers curled slightly and framed her face. She stood tall and thin, in a slender pair of jeans topped with a coral pink cotton sweater. The color of the sweater seemed to heighten the color of her cheeks and eyes.

Audrey gasped, her eyes wide with shock, "Jack!"

He watched as she fumbled with the lock. He could hear the bolt slide back and just as quickly Audrey pushed open the storm door. "My God, Jack! What are you doing here? How did you find me? It's so good to see you!"

Without hesitation Audrey reached for Jack's hand and drew him into the house. In the same movement she pulled him into a deep embrace. "I thought I'd never see you again," she confessed. Her voice was cracking and Jack could feel a soft sob emanate from her as his arms closed around her.

Tears filled his own eyes as the realization that she obviously didn't hate him came over him. She may not still love him as he loved her, but she didn't hate him and that was a start. "I had to see you, Audrey. I had to know that you were alright," he whispered softly.

Audrey stepped back to look at him. "You look good, Jack. I heard that your senate hearing was on C-SPAN but by the time I turned it on, the proceedings were already in recess. With all that happened in the last couple of days here in Washington, there wasn't any more coverage. What happened? Are they going to press charges? I want you to know that I've talked to my father. He has friends on that committee. This is a travesty, Jack. My father will do whatever he can to help you."

"It's okay, Audrey. It's over. The investigation was dropped. There won't be any charges." Jack knew full well that James Heller was paying his daughter lip service when he told her that he would help. President Taylor did some digging and was able to find out that Heller was instrumental in having CTU dismantled and had pressed hard for the investigation into Jack's actions. Apparently the man's hatred ran even deeper than Jack realized.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I guess my dad still carries some weight in this town."

"I'm sure he does," Jack agreed pleasantly, "but in this case it was President Taylor who asked the committee chairman to drop the investigation."

"President Taylor? How did she get involved?"

"It's complicated. Audrey, can we sit down?"

"Of course, Jack. Come in and sit down. Can I get you a drink?" she offered.

"Nothing right now, thanks," Jack said as he followed Audrey into a comfortable sitting room. The tall windows and high ceiling along with the light colored furniture made it feel big and airy.

"Now tell me how the president got involved," Audrey asked as they sat together on an overstuffed sofa.

"The FBI asked me to help in the field during the terrorist attacks two days ago. Based on the outcome and the role I played, President Taylor arranged to have the investigation dropped."

"Jack, I had no idea that you were working for the government again."

"I'm not. The FBI needed my help with a specific project. I agreed to help and I just seemed to get sucked into the rest of the operation."

"Why did the FBI need your help?" Audrey asked.

Jack looked away for a moment unable to make eye contact with Audrey. "They needed me to help in taking down a suspect. It was someone who I used to work with."

"Who was that?"

"Audrey, this is going to come as a shock."

"Who was it, Jack?"

"Tony Almeida."

"Tony Almeida has been dead for over five years. I was there with you when they zipped him into a body bag," Audrey said incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"Tony wasn't dead. I had no idea. I thought he was dead, too."

Audrey stood abruptly and began to pace. Her face flashed with anger. "What is it with you CTU people? Everybody thinks you're dead. We have funerals for you. We bury you. We grieve for you and a couple of years later you turn up alive! What about Michelle? Is she alive, too?"

Embarrassed, Jack hung his head and stared at the polished hardwood floor. "No, she's not. I'm sorry to spring this on you, Audrey."

She turned her back to him and walked toward the window. "I can't believe this! Do you need a drink yet, because I do?"

Jack stood and came up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. "I'm sorry, Audrey. I was afraid you'd find out somehow and I thought it would be better if you heard it from me." He stared into her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want right now. If you want me to leave, just say so. If not, I'll explain everything."

The anger left Audrey's face as she shook her head. "Don't go. I didn't mean to get angry, Jack. It's just such a shock."

"I know. Let's open a bottle of wine and I'll tell you everything."

With that Jack spent the next hour recounting all that had happened or at least as much of it as he could without giving out any classified information.

"Jack, that's incredible," Audrey said shaking her head. "I can hardly believe it. Tony, Bill and Chloe are amazing. And you! I always knew you were amazing," she said with a smile. "So now that I know how you spent your last 48 hours, tell me where you've been for the last four years. I tried to find you."

Jack gave her a wry smile. "I spent most of the time traipsing around the world trying to stay one step ahead of a subpoena. I don't want to talk about that right now. I want to talk about you. How are you, Audrey?" he asked as he took her hands in his own and immediately noticed that her hands, like his, bore the scars of their imprisonment in China. He prayed that Audrey's emotional scars were less severe.

She looked away as tears filled her eyes. "I'm doing better. The days are pretty good, but sometimes the nights are bad. I'm jumpy. Noises scare me and I have a lot of nightmares. I'm still in therapy."

Jack had suspected as much. He noticed on entering the house that there were too many locks on the door and that the home security system was too sophisticated for this simple dwelling. He swallowed hard. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. You never should have gone to China. I wouldn't have wanted you to do that. It was too dangerous."

"I had to, Jack. No one else would help. Bill and Karen tried, but their hands were tied. They still worked for the government and they could only press the issue so hard. I had to do something. My father tried to stop me but I couldn't live with myself if I just let you die in a Chinese prison. You didn't deserve that."

"What I didn't deserve was someone who was as good to me as you were."

"Don't say that. You shouldn't feel that way about yourself," she admonished him. "Tell me something. Why did you run away, Jack? It wasn't the subpoena. From what I could find out, that subpoena wasn't issued for almost two years after you came back from China."

"I ran for a lot of reasons, Audrey, and none of them were good. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do. I was afraid that I couldn't provide the support you needed. Your father was there to take care of you and make sure you got the help you needed and I felt like I'd just be in the way. So I left. I couldn't stay in LA and not see you, so I started traveling. I went where the wind carried me."

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes and no. What I eventually figured out was that I had to stop running. That's one of the reasons I came back. I needed to face the charges regardless of what the consequences were. My conscience is clear. People may disagree with some of the things I've done, but very few of them disagree with my successes. In the end, I hoped that if I was charged and went to trial that the twelve people sitting in the jury box would side with me. If they didn't I'd just have to live with that."

"But you would have had to live with that in prison."

"I understood that, but I also knew that it wasn't doing me any good to keep running."

"I'm glad it's all over for you. I'm glad you don't have to face that." Audrey smiled at him and the conversation lulled for a moment. "Are you hungry? That Italian place we used to order from when we first started dating still has great food."

"Do they still make that antipasto salad?"

Audrey nodded, "It's got to be one of the best in the city. Let's order an antipasto salad and a pizza."

"And some cannolis," Jack agreed. He sat down on the sofa while Audrey called in their order and was surprised to find how comfortable he felt.

Audrey finished the call and sat down close to Jack on the sofa. "It'll be 45 minutes. That gives you plenty of time to tell me exactly where all you've been in the last four years.

Jack draped an arm around her shoulders and Audrey settled against him. It felt like the years they had been separated simply vanished. As if they had never been apart and none of the bad things that were part of their past had happened.

"Tell me, where did you go? Did you just travel?"

"To be honest, most of the time I didn't care where I was. I was in Australia for awhile and then in India. I eventually made my way into Turkey and some of southern Europe. I ended up in Africa. I actually thought I might settle down there. An old friend of mine ran a school for boys in Sangala. I liked it there. I liked the kids. It was so different than anything I've ever done before. It was peaceful."

"Sangala? Peaceful? Jack the country has been in the middle of a revolution for almost a decade."

"I didn't say that the country was peaceful. The school was peaceful. Trying to keep the kids from getting mixed up in the revolution and trying to give them some kind of education so they could grow up and make something of themselves was really rewarding. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I found peace there. Now enough about me; tell me what you've been doing. When did you move back to D.C.?"

"My dad and I moved back about three years ago. I lived with him out in Arlington for the first year. Then I decided that I wasn't going to get any better if I didn't try and live a more normal life. So I got a job with a victims' rights advocacy group and I bought my own house."

"You didn't want to go back and work at DoD?"

Audrey shook her head. "I thought about it but I couldn't stomach it. That place was a pressure cooker, you know that. My mind just doesn't work that way anymore. I needed a slower pace. I needed to feel needed. If you had asked me five years ago if I would ever take a job like this I would have told you no. I would have said that it wasn't enough of a challenge for me, but right now life is enough of a challenge. I need to feel secure at work and this job is what I need."

"I'm so sorry that this is what it's come to, Audrey, but I'm happy that you've found something that works for you."

"Stop apologizing, Jack. None of this was your fault. I wish you didn't feel so guilty. I know that if you could have protected me, you would have. You couldn't protect me. I take full responsibility for what happened to me. To be honest with you, I'm pretty proud of myself. I took a stand when no one else would. I failed but at least I can say I tried. Since then I've fought to get my life back to normal and I think I've done a pretty good job. My life will never be the same, Jack, but that's okay. I've learned a lot about myself and I'm a much stronger person for it."

Jack smiled warmly, pulled her close and pressed his lips into her hair. "You told me earlier that I was amazing. I think you're the one who's amazing."

The tender moment was, unfortunately, interrupted by the doorbell. Jack felt Audrey jump as the bell rang.

"That must be our food," she said trying to cover the reaction.

They both stood. "I can get it," Jack said as he started toward the door.

"No, I need to do it myself," Audrey told him firmly.

Jack nodded. "How about if I go to the kitchen and get out plates and silverware? I'll be right here if you need me," he offered.

"Sounds good," she replied.

A few minutes later the two were sitting at Audrey's kitchen table eating one of their favorite dinners and sharing quiet conversation. By the end they were holding hands across the table and sipping the remainder of the wine from earlier in the evening. It was more than Jack could have hoped for when he set out from his lonely apartment at 4 o'clock that afternoon. He was just about to suggest that they get together over the upcoming weekend when Audrey's phone rang, again startling her.

She glanced at the caller ID. "It's my dad. He's so over protective. He finds an excuse to drive past my house every evening on his way home. He's going to be so surprised when I tell him that you're here."

_I bet he is, _Jack thought.

"Hi, Dad," Audrey said into the phone. She held it between her ear and Jack's so that he could hear the conversation.

"Hi, sweetheart," he returned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I was driving past and your first floor lights are still on. You usually turn them off and go upstairs by this time. I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong."

"Are you still out front?"

"Yes, I just pulled over to call you."

"Park the car and come in. I have a surprise for you."

"What kind of surprise."

"Dad!" Audrey said with an animated lilt. "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise. Just come in."

"Alright. Give me a minute to find a parking space and I'll be right in."

Audrey hung up but her animated mood remained. "I can't wait for Dad to see you," she giggled.

Jack wasn't surprised that Jim Heller had never told Audrey what happened between them the morning after he returned from China. It would have reflected badly upon him as a father. In the meantime, Jack made himself look bad by deserting her, something that Audrey obviously didn't resent. Regardless, Jim had used the situation to his advantage.

Audrey made her way to the door. "You stay here," she instructed Jack as they walked into the sitting room. She opened the front door and waited anxiously as her father approached.

"Now what's the big surprise?" Jim asked as Audrey leaned toward him to kiss his cheek.

"You'll never believe who's here," she told him happily.

"Obviously it's someone you're happy to see," Jim returned in a warm tone that reflected a happiness that he felt when his daughter was happy.

They stepped into the sitting room and Jack watched with a certain amusement as Jim Heller recognized him.

"Hello, Mr. Secretary," Jack said respectfully. "How are you, sir?"

"Jack Bauer. This _is_ a surprise," Heller said. He was genuinely surprised and Jack could tell.

Audrey beamed. "Isn't it great to see Jack again?"

"It certainly is," Jim agreed less than enthusiastically. He stepped forward to shake hands with Jack.

"Have you heard the good news?" Audrey asked her father.

"No, what news?" he replied.

"President Taylor got Senator Mayer to drop the investigation against Jack. Isn't that wonderful?"

"That's great," Heller said smiling weakly. "Congratulations, Jack."

"Thank you, sir," Jack said with a brisk nod.

"Jack, why are you being so formal?" Audrey asked. "You're acting like the two of you don't know each other."

"How did President Taylor manage to get Mayer off of your back? He seemed pretty intent on pinning something on you from what I could tell," Heller commented in order to head off Audrey's concerns.

"Jack was part of the group that stopped yesterday's terrorist attacks," Audrey explained.

"Oh, so it was a _quid pro quo_," Jim said in a patronizing tone meant to downplay the importance of Jack's role. "You do a little something for her and she keeps you out of prison."

"I think she'd agree that it was more than a _little something_. I think the president and her advisors would agree that I took significant risk that warranted a reevaluation of my situation," Jack said. His tone had a quiet edge to it but his face remained neutral.

The room became quiet for a moment. It was Heller who broke the silence. He turned to Audrey. "I don't want to interrupt your visit. I'm going to head home."

"No, Dad, stay and have a drink with us, please. I have your favorite brandy." Audrey still seemed not to notice the tension in the room.

Jim shook his head. "I had a long day, sweetheart. I need to go home."

"I'm sorry you have to go, Dad, but I'm glad you were able to stop in," Audrey said as she turned to walk him to the door.

"Oh, Audrey, I almost forgot. Remember those two books I loaned you a while back?" Jim asked.

"You mean the one on Lincoln and the spy novel?"

"Those are the ones. If you're finished with them, I'll take them back. I'm having lunch with Jerry Morris tomorrow and I wanted to loan them to him."

"Sure. They're upstairs in my room. I'll go get them for you." Audrey crossed the room and headed for the stairs leaving Jim and Jack alone.

Heller moved toward Jack. "I thought we had a gentlemen's agreement that you would stay away from my daughter," the former Secretary of Defense hissed.

"A gentlemen's agreement? I don't remember either of us being nice enough to be considered gentlemen. As I recall, it was more like you taking the upper hand when I was in no position to argue. I've had 4 years to rethink my position and I've decided to come back. And what's more important is that Audrey wants me back. If I weren't welcome, I wouldn't still be here, Jim."

"So help me God, if you don't leave Audrey alone, I'll make you pay!"

"How? By sending one of your friends in the senate after me?" Jack waited for a moment to give Heller time to react, but he remained silent. "Don't try and deny it. I know all about it. It was _you_ that wanted CTU decommissioned. It was _you_ that pushed Senator Mayer to investigate me."

"You can't prove that."

"Yes, I can. I have statements that President Taylor gave me from Senator Mayer. And you know what, if you try and keep me from seeing Audrey, I'm going to give them to her. I'm going to make sure that she knows just what kind of a bastard her father really is and you'll lose her. Can you stand that, Jim? I know just how painful it is to be estranged from your child. Believe me, I live it every day. You're already estranged from your son; can you stand to lose Audrey, too?"

Heller glared at Jack, his eyes menacing.

"And by the way, I've made copies of those documents. They're in a safe place with Audrey's name on them. I've left instructions that if anything unusual happens to me, you know, like an unfortunate car accident or getting caught in a drive by shooting or maybe a heart attack, the information is to be brought straight to Audrey."

"You're bluffing," Heller spat.

"Maybe I am," Jack smiled vaguely. "But are you going to take that chance?"

Jack wasn't bluffing. He had anticipated exactly this reaction by James Heller if he and Audrey resumed their relationship. He knew that the President's order would prevent Heller from convincing friends in high places to create legal problems for Jack, but it wouldn't stop Heller from arranging an attempt on Jack's life. As farfetched as that seemed, Jack knew Jim Heller well. He could be vindictive and protective as a lioness when it came to Audrey. After their confrontation at Heller's beach house four years earlier, he feared that James Heller could actually go so far as to try and have him killed rather than have Audrey spend the rest of her life with him. Before coming to Audrey's house, Jack had mailed the documents and instructions for their use to Bill.

"You two certainly are having a serious discussion," Audrey commented as she returned to the room with the two books in her hand.

"Not really," Jack said mildly. "Your father was just asking me about the President's decision to end the Senate investigation."

"You need to stay and hear the whole story some time," Audrey told her father. "Maybe we could all have dinner together next week."

"I'll have to check my schedule," Jim told her as he took the books from her. "Take care, Jack. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." Jim nodded in Jack's general direction of didn't bother to look at him.

"Yes, sir. I'm sure we will. Have a safe drive home."

Audrey walked her father to the door and gave him a quick kiss. She returned to the sitting room where Jack was finishing off a glass of wine.

"Is everything okay between you and my father?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?

"I don't know. He seemed a little cool and you were awfully formal."

"The situation's a little awkward," Jack admitted trying to make it sound less important than it was. "You went to China to negotiate my release and you almost died there. In fact, for months your father thought you were dead. And when you did come home, your life has never been the same. I can understand that your father resents me for that. As a father, I'm not sure I'd feel any differently given the same set of circumstances. I'm sure your father would rather that I stay away from you."

Audrey smiled and walked toward Jack. She took the empty wine glass from his hand, put her arms around his waist and kissed him gently. "Whatever my father thinks isn't important, Jack. I'm glad you're here and I don't ever want you to leave."

Jack pulled her close. "I don't want to leave, Audrey, but I'm concerned that your father is going to put a lot of pressure on you to stop seeing me." He released his hold slightly so that he could look at her face. "Your father may make this very uncomfortable for us. I know how close you are to him and I know how much he's done for you especially since you've been back from China. I don't want to put you in the middle of a battle of wills between two stubborn people. Audrey, I love you and I would never want to do anything that would hurt you. My being a part of your life may cost you your relationship with your father. If you can't live with that possibility, then I need to leave now."

"I know that my father isn't always the most reasonable man on the planet, just ask my brother. And maybe right now he's still angry with you over my kidnapping. But I think that he'll come to terms with our relationship. He'll have to, Jack, because I just told you that I don't ever want you to leave and I meant it. If that ultimately ends my relationship with my father, then I'll have to live with that. The reality is that I'll still have you. It's Dad who'll be left alone. I think in the end my father will agree that all he wants is for me to be happy. Once he realizes how happy I am with you, he'll back off."

"I hope so. I don't want to create any problems for you. You don't need that," Jack whispered as he tucked some stray hairs behind her ear.

"As long as you're here, Jack, there aren't any problems that I can't handle." With that, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. Jack eagerly returned her kisses.

They stood kissing for a long time before Jack slowly peeled himself away. "It's getting late," he said softly as he kissed Audrey's forehead and the tip of her nose. "I better go and let you get some sleep."

"I don't want you to go, Jack. Besides, tomorrow's Saturday. I don't have to go to work. We can sleep in," Audrey said coyly.

"Whoa," Jack said as gently. "Don't you think you're moving a little fast? Are you ready for this? I thought we might try dating for a while first."

"We've already dated. I'm past that point. I've wanted you back in my life and in my bed every moment since the day I thought you died at CTU. I even had an affair with Walt Cummings just to try and make myself forget you. It didn't work. Nothing did."

"It's been a long time, honey. A lot has happened to both of us. We've both changed in that time. You might find that I'm not the same person that you loved five years ago."

"We haven't changed, Jack," Audrey said adamantly. "We've grown; we've experienced new things, but fundamentally we're still the same people that we were when you disappeared. You're still the man I fell in love with. I have to assume that the reason you came here today was because you still love me, too. If you just wanted to find out how I was doing, you would have called."

Jack stared at Audrey for a long moment. He spoke quietly, tenderly. "You're right. I do love you. I came here today hoping that you'd still love me, but I was prepared for the worst. I was prepared for you to tell me you hated me. I wasn't sure you'd let me past the front door. Once you let me in, I was hopeful that we could at least be friends. Even then, I had no intention of seducing you."

Audrey pressed her finger against his lips to silence him. "You didn't seduce me. This is what I want and what I've wanted for a long time. If you really think we should wait, I'll agree to that, but I am very clear on the fact that I invited you into my bed." Audrey kissed him softly and smiled playfully. "Let me be blunt, Jack," she said, giving him a look of mock seriousness. "Either come upstairs with me or leave so I can take a cold shower!"

Jack kissed her back. "If you make it a warm shower, I could join you," he offered.

Audrey smiled and angled her head toward the stairs. Jack said nothing more and followed her. He took her hand as she stepped onto the first riser. His stomach turning somersaults with each new step. Audrey led Jack into her bedroom. They stood next to the bed kissing for a long time before Audrey leaned over and turned off the lamp that stood on the nightstand. Jack noticed immediately that the room was no darker than dusk with light from the street coming in through the windows and a nightlight glowing from the attached bathroom. He instantly remembered the cells in China that were dark as pitch and knew that the level of lighting in the room was intentional. Audrey could have put a heavier blind or curtain on the windows, but chose not to do so. She still feared the dark, a thought that made Jack feel sad and guilty all over again. He pulled her tightly to him as if trying to protect her despite the fact that the damage had already been done.

"Sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm going to ask you one more time. I want to know that you really want me to be here and that you want to do this for the right reasons. I want to know that you want me here because you love me and not because I make you feel secure."

"Jack, I gave up feeling secure a long time ago. Yes, I feel better with you here, but I don't think I'll ever feel totally secure either with or without you. If all I was looking for in a man was security, I would have found one by now. I've dated over the last couple of years. One of them got pretty serious and he was a very nice guy who would have provided a lot of security, but I realized that I didn't love him. I want you here because I love you with all my heart."

Jack was never quite sure whether he was actually satisfied with Audrey's answer or simply overcome by his desire for her. It was hours later before he and Audrey lay still. They snuggled, comfortably exhausted and completely spent, among the sheets and blankets on Audrey's bed. Jack felt as if every nerve ending in his body had been dead up until now and had suddenly come alive. He felt as if his senses were heightened. He was aware of a million wonderful sensations: the light touch of the sheets, the warmth of Audrey's body, the scent of her hair which was still damp from their shower, the softness of her skin. They lay in the semidarkness facing each other.

"You're smiling," Jack commented as he reached over and stroked Audrey's face.

"That's because I'm so incredibly happy," Audrey returned. "That was wonderful, Jack."

"It _was_ wonderful," Jack agreed.

"Did you notice a difference?"

"A difference? In how we made love?"

"Yes, it was different than when we dated. We used to be like a couple of teenagers, the faster and more furious the better. We'd steal ten minutes in your office or mine or we'd sneak into each other's hotel rooms. Even when we had plenty of time, we still were frantic. It was different this time. It was slow and quiet, but it was more intense than I ever remember before. Maybe you were right when you said we'd both changed. Maybe we've finally grown up."

"I didn't think about it that way, but you're right. It was different. It was better, wasn't it?" Jack found himself smiling now. "I'd suggest we do it again, but I'm too tired."

Audrey laughed. "We don't have to wear ourselves out in one night. We have a lifetime." Her tone turned serious. "Nothing's going to come between us this time, Jack. Nothing. Not our government. Not the Chinese government. Not my father. We deserve some peace and some happiness and I think we've finally found it."

"I hope so," Jack said. He playfully pulled Audrey to him and rolled them both over so that he was on top of her. "Because now that I've got you, I don't plan on letting go."

Audrey kissed him lightly. "I thought you were too tired for more?"

"I am. I just did that for effect," Jack laughed. "But then again, since I'm here…" He dropped his face to hers and kissed her deeply. "Maybe we could."

"Maybe we could sleep and resume this in the morning," Audrey suggested.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Jack sighed as he slid off of Audrey and back onto the bed.

They curled up like spoons, bodies pressed tightly together in the middle of the bed. Jack's arm was wrapped around Audrey's body. They both relaxed and reveled in the feeling.

So much had happened in the last 24 hours. In many ways, it was more than in the previous 24 when he was chasing down terrorists and trying to save the president. He had his life back for the first time in years. No hiding under assumed names and working on an oil rig. No Chinese prison. No traveling around the world trying to avoid his past. He had him name, a home and the love of a wonderful woman. It was a good start and for the first time that he could remember, he drifted off to sleep happy, genuinely happy.

_Next up: Chapter 2: Tony. Hope you'll come back to read it. If you have a second, I'd appreciate a review! _


	2. Chapter 2: Tony

_Hi! Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate it when readers take a moment and review. It's fun to see all of the different opinions and ideas._

_When I posted Chapter 1, I was remiss in not thanking my beta reader – 24fan. She's been reading my chapters and telling me what's wrong with them. Some things I've changed and others I haven't, but in the end, I have a much better product. Thanks, 24fan! You can't imagine how much you've helped me._

_Writing this chapter on Tony was almost therapeutic for me! The twists on the show have been really exciting, but this is how I want Tony to end up. _

Chapter 2: Tony

Tony slowed down at the stop sign, checked the intersection and proceeded through without ever really stopping. He wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry or why he had such a sense of dread. He had no right to be worried about her. They hardly even knew each other. His anxiety rose as the dashboard-mounted GPS announced in its digital voice that his destination was 200 yards ahead on the left. It repeated it twice as if he hadn't heard the first time. He pulled up to the curb trying to figure out once again just why he was here.

It started early this morning. Tony stretched, rolled over and reached his hand to the other side of the bed. He had done that every morning for more than five years and the result was always the same. This time was no different. His hand found nothing but cool sheets and, as if it had never happened before, a sadness passed through his heart with the realization that yet again she wasn't there. Michelle was gone; she wasn't coming back. It wasn't like it had been five years ago when that sadness was debilitating; when it hurt too much to get out of bed in the morning. And when his hatred for everyone and everything associated with the government drove him to believe all of the antigovernment propaganda that David Emerson fed him. It was bearable now, more like a dull ache.

Actually, this particular morning, it hurt less than usual. For a change, Tony smiled as he rolled over and closed his eyes to try and get more sleep. This morning, for a change, he was proud of himself.

Almost six years ago his life had changed. Michelle was dead and by all rights he should have been, too. Thanks to David Emerson, that didn't happen. Tony wasn't sure if he should be grateful to Emerson for keeping him alive or if he should hate him. Had he just died, he wouldn't have had to live through all of the grief. But instead, he was alive and Emerson and his people nursed him back to health. While they did it, they never let Tony forget what he had lost and whose fault that was. They got into his angry and tormented mind and laid the seeds of destruction.

Tony never kidded himself. He was a Marine and a CIA agent. He knew what they were doing and he knew how to prevent it. You could only be brainwashed if you let yourself be brainwashed. And he did just that. He let himself be brainwashed. He wasn't sure why he allowed it, but thought it was probably because he was just so damned angry. At least Emerson and his men provided Tony with a sense of fellowship and belonging. Besides that, what else was he going to do? Everyone thought he was dead: his family, his friends, the government. Was he just going to show up at his parents' home one day and scare the hell out of them? No, it was easier to let everyone think he was dead and do what Emerson wanted. All of it seemed pretty harmless. Most of what they did involved hacking into government computers and databases and screwing with the data. It was always to the detriment of the government and not to the citizens. They planted evidence that was then used to destroy the reputations and bank accounts of several government officials – a senator, a couple of congressmen, a cabinet member and some other political appointees. They were corrupt people so Tony could justify it, all of it. At least until Emerson got involved with the Juma regime. Then it all changed and Tony knew that people were going to get hurt and he couldn't do it anymore. Until then, Tony felt like what they were doing was for altruistic reasons, but with Juma, Emerson was only in it for the money. It was a lot of money and Emerson didn't care how many people died in order for him to collect.

As he lay there in the quiet of the morning, he knew that that wasn't all quite true. As hard as he tried to justify what he had done in the name of antigovernment activities, he had always known in his heart that it was wrong. And what bothered him most of all was that he knew Michelle would hate what he had become. If he let himself, he could see that same disappointed look on her face that she had when he first got home from prison and started drinking. Letting Michelle down, imagining the disappointment in her eyes, hurt almost as much as her dying.

So this morning, he smiled. He had done what was right. Cliché as it sounded, he had fought the good fight. And it felt good. The other thing that felt good, was knowing that he no longer faced prosecution. Tony had told Jack that he would turn himself in and he fully intended to do it. But being given a get out of jail free card signed by President Taylor was even better. _Two pardons in one lifetime! That's probably some kind of record,_ Tony thought. And all she required was that he give up the names of all of the people in Emerson's organization. Tony was happy to do so. After being debriefed at the White House along with Jack, Bill, Tony, Chloe and Renee, Tony had stayed behind to provide the Attorney General with all of the information he needed. He knew that while he had slept for the last 15 hours, many of those people had been arrested.

Tony stretched again and got out of bed. He couldn't explain it, but it somehow felt different this morning. He was free. He didn't have to travel in the shadows, sunglasses on, hat pulled low, scruffy beard hiding his face. He walked into the bathroom and took out a fresh razor. Minutes later his cheeks were smooth and he liked the way he looked. Except for a slightly bruised nose from when Jack punched him and the thick hand marks on his neck from when Jack tried to strangle him, he looked like the Tony that Michelle loved five years ago.

Having shaved and dressed in a dark tee shirt and the only clean pair of jeans that he had, Tony went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Unlike Jack, who struggled to find something to eat in his apartment, Tony's pantry was always full. He loved to cook. It was his refuge. When things were going badly or he felt particularly angry with himself for working with Emerson or even when he just needed time to think, he simply went to the kitchen and immersed himself in some complicated recipe. This morning he wasn't cooking to occupy his mind, he was cooking because he was hungry. So he chopped ham and diced vegetables and whipped eggs and cooked up a thick, fluffy omelet. Then he sat on an old sofa with his huge breakfast, an omelet, two slices of whole wheat toast, fresh fruit and freshly ground coffee, along with his laptop on the wobbly coffee table in front of him.

He ate and read the news online reveling in the fact that after all that had happened, he and the rogue group he had cobbled together had prevailed. His name was never mentioned, not in any of the dozens of news stories that he read. The press didn't even know of his existence or of the pardon granted by the president. That was all fine by Tony. He didn't need the notoriety. In fact, he preferred the anonymity. Now he could move on and live his life without the specter of all he had been though following him.

And moving on was what he planned to do. Thinking of the future was a luxury that Tony hadn't had in a while. For the past few years he existed day to day. His thoughts were always on how to keep himself from being discovered. Now that he could think about a future, it seemed that it was infinite. He wanted to go back to work, to earn an honest living. David Emerson had paid him well for the last five years, but Tony had turned that money over to Bill and Chloe to set up "CTU-east".

He had an idea for a business that he was going to propose to Jack, Bill, Chloe and Morris. It also crossed his mind that Renee Walker might be interested in working with them. She had been reinstated at the FBI, but he doubted that she would go back. He spent a long time talking to her while they were waiting to be debriefed and her views on the Bureau had changed. He couldn't imagine her going back and working for Larry Moss or even taking a transfer and working in another field office.

So, Tony ticked off his priorities in order of importance. Number 1: Call his friends and start setting up a business. Number 2: Reconnect with his family. Jack had offered to help. He knew Tony's family pretty well and both he and Tony felt that if Jack went to Chicago and explained all that had happened, it would make it easier for Tony to "reappear" in their lives. Both Tony and Jack were painfully aware of what happened when Kim was reunited with her father after thinking that he was dead. To this day, she still refused to see him. Jack wanted to keep the same painful experience from happening to Tony. Number 3: Move to a nice apartment. He had lived in this dump in order to maintain a low profile and he didn't intend to live there much longer.

There it was. He easily enumerated the three steps to his future, to a new life. It was all falling into place. What more could he ask for? He had to admit that the one thing that his future lacked was much as a personal or social life, a thought which caused him at least a little bit of sadness, but it wasn't something he was going to dwell on right now. There were plans to make and work to do. Tony sat with his computer and began to work out a plan for his new business. If he was going to convince his friends to join him, he was going to have to show them a comprehensive plan. A few hours and at least a thousand corrections later he saved the document, happy with what he had produced. His desire to share it with someone was overwhelming. He had never been the kind of person to keep his feelings to himself. If he was having a bad day, he made sure that the rest of the world was having one, too. Same when he was happy, he needed to know that everyone around him shared his happiness and today was no different. He picked up his phone to call someone. Someone. But who?

He grabbed his phone to call Jack. He started to press the send button and then thought better of it. Jack would probably want to be alone today. He was a far more introspective person than Tony. Jack liked to spend the first few days after an operation like the one just ended, thinking it all through, analyzing everything that happened. Tony, on the other hand, wanted to talk about it. That was how he was able to work through it. Oh well, it was probably best if he didn't call Jack right now.

Instead he would call Bill. But then again, Bill was much like Jack. Why were so many of his associates the quiet, introspective types?

How about Chloe and Morris? Again, probably not a great idea. They would be at home with Prescott. They deserved their family time. Chloe had spent a lot of hours working with Bill recently at the expense of her family and this wasn't the right time to bother her.

That left Renee. Tony suspected that after all she had been through in the last couple of days that she might want to talk. She also might like to hear his business plan. It might be comforting for her to know that she had an option if she didn't want to go back to the FBI. So Tony found Renee's name on his contact list and pressed send. He listened while the phone rang five times and then went to voice mail. Disappointed, Tony left a message for her to return his call.

For the next couple of hours, Tony busied himself with cleaning up around his apartment and doing some further work on his business plan. He repeatedly checked the time and checked his phone to make sure that it was turned on. He wasn't sure why he was so anxious to talk to Renee. He wrote it off to the fact that he just wanted to talk to someone and Renee was his best option at the time. Again Tony took out his phone and dialed Renee's number and again he reached her voice mail. _Maybe she went to work, _he thought. With that, he dialed FBI headquarters and asked for Agent Walker. He waited for a minute on hold before being told that Agent Walker wasn't in.

A strange nervous energy started churning within him. Was something wrong with Renee? She hadn't gone to work but she wasn't answering her phone. It seemed unlikely that she was still asleep. They had all been exhausted when they left the White House almost 24 hours earlier. More than likely they had all gone right to sleep and were awake by now. Tony hoped he was reading more into the situation than was actually there, but he was starting to worry and he couldn't sit and do nothing any longer. It took just a few minutes on the internet for Tony to find a home address for Renee. Without hesitation, he grabbed a jacket and car keys and headed for his car.

The drive to Renee's house was a little over a half an hour; just enough time for Tony's overactive imagination to conjure up all kinds of bad thoughts. At the point that he and the rest of his group left the White House yesterday afternoon, Renee was pretending to be strong, but everyone knew it was all for show. The events of the previous day had scarred her badly. She and Jack had argued more than once. And she and Larry Moss, a man who appeared to be more than just her boss, were completely at odds with one another. Moss clearly resented what he considered Renee's insubordination. He also wasn't happy that the president had reinstated Renee's position without even consulting him. Now thinking about it, Tony wondered if it was a bad idea to let Renee go home alone. At the time, no one gave it any thought. Frankly, they were all too tired to think about anything but going home and sleeping. To Jack, Bill, Chloe and Tony, this was really all in a day's work. It wasn't new to any of them, but it was entirely different than anything that Renee had ever been through before.

Tony now sat in his car in front of a neat little home in a working class suburb of Washington. It was a small ranch style house that looked to have been built in the early 1970's on a little plot of land. It originally had been exactly like every other house on the block, but changes and additions over the years gave the houses some character all of their own. Renee's car was parked in the carport to the left of the front door. Tony left his car at the curb and made his way up to the front porch and rang the doorbell.

He could see movement through the front windows but no attempt was made to answer the door. Tony waited another minute before knocking. "Renee? Are you there?" he asked as he knocked. "It's Tony. Are you there?"

Several more seconds passed before the door opened. Renee stood in the doorway looking out at him. She was holding a mostly-empty bottle of wine in one hand and cradling a wine glass in the other. She had changed out of the dark suit she had been wearing and into a completely shapeless sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants. Red wine had dribbled down the sweatshirt. Her feet were bare and her hair hung limply in her alcohol-flushed face. Her eyes were puffy from lack of sleep or crying or both. The lovely, self confident Federal Agent that was trying to bring Tony to justice just 48 hours earlier was nowhere to be found.

"Tony? What are you doing here?" she asked. Tony noticed the slight slur to her words.

"I tried to call you and you didn't answer. I thought I'd stop by and make sure that you were okay," he explained.

"Oh yeah, I'm great! I'm fine!" she said rolling her eyes and making expansive gestures with her arms nearly spilling the wine. "Why wouldn't I be great?"

"Isn't it a little early for this?" Tony asked taking the bottle from her.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed. What time is it, anyway? You know what they say in the song, it's five o'clock somewhere," Renee said and then drained the remainder of the wine in her glass. She reached for the bottle in Tony's hand, but he drew it away. "Keep it. I've got more," she shrugged. "If you're done trying to rescue me from myself, you can go now. I still have some serious drinking to do before I pass out."

"Come on, Renee. You don't need to do this to yourself."

"How dare you, of all people, judge me or tell me what I need. I know your history, Tony. You drank yourself right out of a marriage."

"And then I realized what I'd lost and I quit drinking. Nobody is more qualified than me to understand what you're trying to do. You think alcohol will make you forget or make you feel better. Well you're right, it will, but only for a little while. Then you just have to drink more and more until all you can think about is your next drink. It's not worth it, Renee. You don't want to end up like that."

"I think I already told you that you could go. Thanks for stopping by to lecture me. We'll have to do it again sometime," she said sarcastically as she started to close the door.

Tony was ready for it and easily slipped his foot between the door and the jamb. "Renee," he said gently. "Why don't you let me come in? I think it would help if you had someone to talk to."

Renee shrugged and stepped away from the door. "Suit yourself," she said with an air of indifference.

Tony followed Renee into the kitchen where she grabbed another bottle of wine from the wine rack mounted below one of the cabinets. The she reached for a second wine glass. "Want some?" she asked picked up a corkscrew.

Tony reached for her hand. He gently pried the corkscrew from her fingers and led her to the kitchen table. He pulled out one of the chairs. "You just sit down. Let me make you some coffee."

Renee's eyes finally met Tony's and she began to cry. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm out of control and I know it but I don't know how to fix it. I'm exhausted and I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes I relive the whole awful day. I just want to get some sleep. I just want to forget it all. I'm not like you and Jack. I can't just walk away and live my life and forget everything I did and everybody I hurt and everyone who died," she sobbed.

"Come here, Renee," Tony whispered as he pulled her into his arms. She resisted for a moment before collapsing against him, clutching his tee shirt in her fists. "Nobody expects you to just walk away and act like nothing happened. Believe me, it bothers me, too. I've just done this longer than you have and I know how to deal with it. The best thing you can do is talk it out. You can talk to me or I'm sure the FBI has a psychologist that you can talk to, but you need help."

Tony could feel Renee nodding in agreement with him while she continued to cry. Slowly she relaxed her hands and let go of his shirt. Her hands slid down his sides and around his waist. The move created some space between them which Tony quickly closed by pulling her closer. He was surprised by how good it felt to hold her. Michelle was the last woman in his life. He had had a couple of brief affairs with women he had met through David Emerson, but they were purely physical. He had no emotional investment in any of them. In truth, he wasn't looking for an emotional investment. He was still emotionally invested in Michelle. All he had been looking for at the time was a physical release. Suddenly he felt different. It wasn't just having her physically so close to him, what was more important, was having her emotionally so close to him. Now he felt the warmth of being _needed_ by another human being and it felt good.

Tony closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel Renee against him. "Cry it out, Renee. I'm here for you," he whispered.

Renee cried for a long time before her sobs slowly subsided. She pulled back slightly and looked at him. "Thank you, Tony. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump on you like that. I guess I just lost it."

"Don't apologize. You didn't 'dump on me' and you didn't 'lose it', you needed to get it out. Trust me, Renee, this isn't over for you. You need some real help before post traumatic stress syndrome sets in, but in the meantime, I'm happy to be here for you." The two smiled at each other and Tony stepped back, suddenly uncomfortable with the closeness. "When's the last time you ate or drank something that didn't have alcohol in it?"

Renee shrugged. "I don't know. Not since I've been home."

"Not since you've been home?" Tony repeated incredulously. "You've been home more than 24 hours."

Renee shrugged again but this time she smiled weakly. "Eating didn't seem like a priority."

"You need something to eat," Tony told her as he walked back to the kitchen. "How does your stomach feel?" he asked as he started looking through her cupboards.

"Bad," she replied simply.

"Here," Tony said as he pulled out a box of tea bags. "Let's start with tea." He continued his search. "And here are some crackers. Tea and crackers, that's a start. You don't keep much food around, do you?" he asked as he found a mug and began to make the tea.

"I don't cook," Renee explained.

Tony smiled softly. "That sounds familiar," he said remembering the first time he went to Michelle's apartment and found that she too had an empty pantry and used the same excuse. "My wife didn't cook. Her apartment never had any food in it."

"I guess you two ate out a lot," Renee commented as she sipped the tea Tony handed to her.

"Not in LA on government salaries," he said wryly. "We couldn't afford it. I did most of the cooking. I like to cook. It worked out. I cooked and took care of the yard work. She was a neat freak, so she cleaned and took care of the finances."

"A match made in heaven," Renee said without thinking.

"Yeah, it was," Tony said wistfully.

"I'm sorry, Tony. That was cold. I didn't mean to say that," Renee apologized.

"It's okay. It's part of my life. I'll never forget it and I'll always regret that I didn't die in the car bombing either with Michelle or instead of Michelle, but for whatever reason, I didn't. So I've been forced to move on. I'm not going to tell you that it's been easy, but I've moved on. Actually, the last six months working with Bill and Chloe has helped the most. For the first time in over five years, I honestly think that I'm past it. Actually, that's one of the reasons that I came over to see you. I have a business proposal that I thought you might be interested in if you decide not to go back to the FBI. We can talk about it another time, if you're interested."

"I'm interested. Tell me about it. Maybe it'll make me forget how bad I feel for a little while." Renee listened while she nibbled on crackers and sipped tea. "Tony, I love it," she told him when he finished. "Thank you for including me. I haven't had time to give the future any thought, but, you're right, I don't see myself going back to the FBI. I certainly can't work for Larry anymore. I could request a transfer, but then I'd have to move and I don't really want to do that. I just bought this house two years ago. I'm happy here. The job you're proposing would be perfect."

Tony slowed her down. "I wouldn't quit my day job before we get this up and running. The biggest problem is getting together the capital to get started. I'm living on a wing and a prayer at this point, so I can't contribute much. Chloe and Morris will all have some money to use toward start up costs. Bill would be able to help, too, but he and his wife have a business of their own. I'm not sure what's going to happen between them or if he'll be interested in going in with us. I'm really counting on Jack here. I don't know how much you know about Jack, but his family owned a company called BXJ."

Renee nodded. "I know the story. His father and brother were part of the terrorist attack early in Wayne Palmer's administration."

"That's right. Jack's father had set up huge trust funds for Jack and his brother when they were kids. Jack didn't rely on his. He and his father didn't really get along, so Jack left the company early and made it on his own. I'm sure over the last four years he's had to dip into those trust funds to some extent, but I'm assuming that he still has a lot left. A couple hundred thousand is all we really need to get a good start."

"I don't have much to offer, Tony, but I'll do what I can," Renee told him.

"Thanks. Let me talk to Jack and the others and we'll start making some decisions."

"This is pretty amazing," Renee commented. "Two days ago I was hunting you. All I wanted to do was arrest you. Now here we are talking about going into business together. I can't believe how my life has changed in the last two days."

"I know you're upset about all of the things you were forced to do over those two days, but I hope you're proud of yourself, too. We saved this country from what amounted to a coup by Starkwood. You deserve to be really proud of the part you played in it."

"I am; that's part of what scares me. I feel terrible about some of what I did, but not as terrible as I probably should. Just trying to put the whole thing into perspective is making me crazy. Look at me, I'm a mess. I spent most of today trying to drink myself into a stupor. I haven't eaten. I haven't taken a shower. Frankly Tony, I'm embarrassed to have you see me this way."

"Don't be. You've gotten through the worst of it. You'll work out the rest with a psychologist over the next few weeks. In the meantime, call me if you need anything. I should probably go and let you take that shower and eat something. Then you need to get some sleep." Tony stood. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," Renee replied tentatively. "Thanks," she said as they walked toward the door.

Tony opened the door and started down the front steps.

"Tony, wait!" Renee called behind him and stepped onto the porch. "Look, I… um… haven't eaten all day and it's dinner time so… um… if you're hungry maybe you could stay and we could have some dinner. We could order a pizza or some Chinese food."

"I'd like that." Tony smiled and then looked nervously at the ground.

The two stood looking at each other for a long moment before Renee spoke. "Let's go back in. I've got some carry out menus we can choose from."

Tony followed and the awkwardness of the moment seemed to fade as Renee handed him several menus. He quickly perused them. "This stuff is all pretty spicy," he noted after sifting through Italian, Chinese and Mexican menus. "Can your stomach take this today?"

Renee smiled. "You mean after all of the wine I drank? You're probably right. Spicy probably isn't the best thing for me right now. I'm still a little queasy."

"I've got an idea," Tony suggested. "How about if I cook something a little milder?"

"That would be great, but I don't have anything here for you to cook."

"I noticed," he said sarcastically. "There's a grocery store a couple of blocks away. I'll go and pick up what I need and then cook it."

"That seems like a lot of work," Renee noted.

"Not really. I told you; I like to cook. It'd give you time to take a shower if you like."

"I'd like that. Are you sure this is no trouble?"

"None. I'll be back in about a half hour," he told her.

"Thanks," Renee whispered as Tony left.

As expected Tony was back in about a half hour. He took the groceries from the car and carried them to the front door. He shifted the bags so that he was able to balance them in one arm while finding the key Renee had given him so he could let himself in.

"Renee, I'm back," he shouted as he entered the house. He doubted that she heard him since the door to the master bedroom and its attached bath was closed and he could hear a radio playing.

Tony took the groceries the kitchen and started searching through Renee's meager supply of pots, pans and utensils to find what he needed to cook dinner. The clanging of metal drew Renee's attention.

"Tony, is that you?" she shouted from behind the bedroom door.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Did you find what you needed? I don't have much in the way of cookware."

"Really? I hadn't noticed," was his sarcastic reply. "Next time I'll be sure to bring my own."

"Sorry," Renee called back. "I'll be out in a few minutes to help."

"Take your time," Tony replied.

He was just about to start chopping the fresh basil for the linguini with lemon and basil sauce when the doorbell rang.

"Tony, was that the door?" Renee asked.

"Yeah, do you want me to get it?"

"If you don't mind."

Tony set down a sharp knife and wiped his hands on the nearest dishtowel before heading to the door. The bell rang a second time before he reached it.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Be patient," he muttered as grasped the doorknob and opened the door without first looking out. Much to Tony's surprise, Larry Moss stood in front of him.

"Almeida? What are you doing here? " Moss snarled.

"Thanks, Larry. Good to see you, too," Tony returned.

"Where's Renee?"

"I'm right here, Larry," Renee's voice said from behind Tony.

Tony stepped away from the door giving Larry a chance to enter the house. He looked from Tony to Renee who stood in a short bathrobe that nicely showed off her long legs. Her freshly washed hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Tony couldn't help but notice how good she looked and he doubted that Larry missed it either.

"Well obviously I'm interrupting something. Jesus, Renee! People are worried about you. We've been calling all day and your voice mail is full. I came out here thinking something happened to you. I guess I'll just let everybody know that you're fine and otherwise occupied!"

"Larry, this isn't what it looks like," Tony started.

"No, Tony," Renee stopped him. "We don't have to justify anything. You can believe what you want to believe, Larry. I'm an adult and I may have to answer to you at work, but I don't have to explain my actions in my own house."

An awkward silence followed. It was Tony who broke it. "Excuse me, I have to check something on the stove," he said softly as he walked away.

The conversation continued behind him.

"When did you start cooking," Larry asked Renee.

"I didn't. Tony's making dinner."

"That's cute. Are you two setting up housekeeping?"

"Look, Larry," Renee sighed, her voice calmer than it had been a minute earlier. "I appreciate that you were worried about me and I'm sorry that I didn't answer my phone. Tell everybody that I'm fine and I just need a little time to myself. I really didn't want to talk to anybody today. To be honest, I just wanted to get drunk and pass out. Tony stopped by and sobered me up and talked me down off the ledge. He got me through a couple of really tough hours. That's all that happened. Give him a chance. He's turning out to be a good guy. I know it's hard to go from viewing him as a fugitive for the last few weeks to being his friend now, but try. He's not at all who we thought he was."

"I'm sorry," Larry returned. "I'll go and let you two have dinner. Will I see you at work tomorrow?"

Renee shook her head. "I'm going to put in for a leave of absence. I think I need some time after all that happened. I'm going to see if I can talk to the Bureau's psychologist."

Larry nodded slightly. "That's probably a good idea." He paused. "If you need anything let me know."

"Thanks," Renee returned.

"Goodbye, Tony," Larry called in the general direction of the kitchen.

Tony walked back to the door and shook hands with Moss.

Renee stood in the door as Larry descended the two steps from the porch. He stopped on the sidewalk for a second before turning toward her. "You're not coming back to the FBI, are you?"

"I don't know yet but I may not."

"You're a great agent, Renee. I don't want you to throw that away, but if you have to go, I'll understand."

"Thanks, Larry. I appreciate that," she said softly.

Renee walked the few steps into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Tony. I would never have asked you to get the door if I thought it was Larry."

"Don't worry about it," he returned without looking up from the chicken he was sautéing. "I take it that there's more to your relationship with Larry than just work." Tony felt a strong pang of jealousy that he knew he had no right to feel.

"Larry always wanted more. We met eight years ago when I started with The Bureau. I was married at the time. It was a pretty shaky marriage even then and it ended a couple of years later. After that, I was too gun-shy to get involved with a man for a while. About two years ago I finally agreed to go out with Larry. It was a mistake. He always cared more for me than I did for him, but it was nice to have someone in my life, so I let it continue. About six months ago, he asked me to marry him and I turned him down. He thought it was just that I was afraid to get married so he suggested that we live together for a while, but it wasn't the commitment that I was afraid of. It was that the relationship just wasn't that good. We weren't right for each other. Larry didn't take it well. He keeps hoping that we'll get back together. I feel bad that I can't return his feelings, but I'd be a fool to pretend that I can. I've already screwed up one marriage; I'm not going to do it again just to save his feelings."

Tony smiled. "You didn't owe me an explanation."

"Yeah, I did. You were just blindsided by my ex-boyfriend. That wasn't fair to you. Thanks for being such a good sport."

"I try," Tony said with a slight chuckle. "Why don't you go get dressed before someone else shows up at the door and we have to be embarrassed all over again."

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Hurry up. Dinner will be ready in about 15 minutes."

Renee returned five minutes later in a pair of well worn jeans, a cropped tee shirt and a pair of sandals. Tony took a long look at her when she was looking the other way. He liked her casual look. It was almost as good as the bathrobe and bare legs.

"Almost ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, could you set the table?"

"Set the table. You mean like with plates and silverware? I usually just sit in the family room and set my plate on the coffee table or balance it on my lap," Renee suggested.

Tony feigned annoyance. "My meals are not eaten from a coffee table in front of the television. They're eaten at the kitchen or dining room table with some background music. And since I cooked, I make the rules!"

"Yes, sir!" Renee responded with a laugh and a salute. "Should I put out salad forks and dessert spoons, too?"

"I think you can forgo the salad fork, but we will need a dessert spoon," Tony told her as he arranged the perfectly cooked chicken breasts around the edge of a serving platter. He proceeded to put the pasta in the center and sprinkled all of it with grated parmesan cheese before setting it on the table. Finally, he transferred green beans to a bowl and handed it to Renee. "Let me get the bread out of the oven and then we can eat," Tony said as he donned oven mitts and took a foil-wrapped loaf of bread from the oven and set it on a wooden cutting board.

"Tony, this is amazing!" Renee marveled. "Forget that business you proposed, you should be a chef!"

"Taste it before you go out and buy me my own restaurant," Tony said sarcastically.

The two sat and talked comfortably through dinner. The conversation was serious with Renee recalling many of the events that occurred two days ago and had truly changed her life. Tears quickly descended her cheeks when she talked about her fear as Tony and Jack buried her alive. Tony reached across the table and took her hand in his.

"Believe me, Renee, if there had been any other way out, we would have taken it," Tony said gently. "But it was all we could think of at the time. If we didn't make it look like Jack killed you, Emerson was going to kill all three of us. Jack and I weren't afraid of dying, we were more afraid of blowing our cover and ending any hope we had of recovering the CIP device. I was wearing a wire so we could communicate with Bill and Chloe. Jack and I gave Bill your location and we just had to hope that he would get to you in time. We took a chance that we could both save you and recover the CIP device. We got lucky; it worked."

The conversation lightened up as the two finished dinner and started to clean up. It wasn't long before they realized that two people who days earlier had played the roles of "hunter" and "hunted" had a lot in common. They liked the same music and sports. They both liked hiking and mountain biking and camping. Soon they were comparing notes of hikes they had taken and discussing places that they both wanted to hike. By the time they cleaned up dinner dishes and Tony made hot fudge sundaes, Renee's sides hurt from laughing as Tony regaled her with stories of how he and Jack had thwarted superiors. Jack shooting George Mason with a tranquilizer dart and Tony drugging Ryan Chappelle were her favorites. Tony decided not to tell her that both Mason and Chappelle later died during terrorist attacks. It served no purpose and he enjoyed watching her laugh. The two finally sat down with coffee and sundaes on the sofa. They sat far closer than necessary and both knew it, but neither cared.

"Thank you, Tony," Renee said as she set her empty ice cream bowl on the coffee table. "I'm really not sure how I would have gotten through today without you."

"You're strong, Renee. You would have been fine," Tony assured her. "Besides," he started with a bit of a smirk. "Larry would have rescued you when he got here."

Renee rolled her eyes. "Just what I needed, Larry lecturing me that I got what I deserved for working with you and Jack! Yeah, that would have helped a lot."

"Okay, so maybe that wouldn't have worked. I'm just glad I could help," Tony told her as he draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her against him. It was meant to be a friendly gesture to let Renee know that he was sincere, but as soon as he did it, he knew that he didn't want to let go.

Tony could feel his heart beating against his chest. He turned his face toward Renee who was now facing him. Neither said a word. Tony inclined his head slightly and leaned forward as Renee did the same. Their kisses were intense and passionate and insistent. They gasped for breath between kisses and Tony heard Renee groan softly. He leaned back against the arm of the sofa and pulled Renee on top of him. She didn't resist and this time Tony groaned. He loved the feeling of her weight resting on top of him.

They kissed for a long time before Renee allowed her lips to begin trailing down Tony's face to his neck. Her hands slipped eagerly under his tee shirt and she slid down his body to begin planting kisses along his chest. Tony framed her face in his hands and lifted her up so that he could look at her.

"Renee, I'm not sure we should be doing this," he whispered breathlessly.

"Why not? Don't try and tell me you're not enjoying it," she answered. She pressed her body gently into his pelvis to emphasize her point.

Tony couldn't deny the fact that he was becoming excited and he felt his face flush with the warmth of embarrassment. "You're right; I'm enjoying it, but that doesn't mean we have to act on it. Renee, we barely know each other."

"Really? Tony, after the last couple of days, I know you better than people I've known for years. We've shared more experiences and more emotions than I've ever shared with anyone. I feel a connection with you that I've never felt with anyone in my life and that includes my ex-husband." Renee moved back up Tony's body so that her face was directly above his. "When's the last time you let someone into your life, Tony? I don't mean physically; I mean emotionally. When's the last time you let yourself be vulnerable?"

Tony didn't answer and glanced away unable to look at her.

"It's time. You think you're some kind of lone ranger out there fighting for justice. You're not. You're a human being with a huge heart and you need to share that heart with someone. Open your heart up, Tony. Allow yourself to care again. I know your heart was broken, but you can't spend the rest of your life wishing for what could have been. You need to make your own happiness and I'd like to be part of it."

The two stared into each other's eyes. Tony tucked some stray stands of hair behind Renee's ear and gently caressed her face. After what seemed like an eternity, he put his hand behind her head and pulled her face to his. He allowed himself to revel in the feeling and it was almost overwhelming. His eyes filled with tears and he felt himself choke slightly on the emotion.

He lifted her face slightly and smiled. "I hope you understand that I'm not into one night stands."

Renee smiled softly in return. "Neither am I. I meant it when I said that I feel a connection with you."

"I feel it, too," Tony whispered.

"We'd be a lot more comfortable in my bedroom," Renee suggested.

"Only if you're sure," Tony replied.

"I've never been surer of anything in my life."

The two moved to Renee's bedroom where their love making was shaped by the emotions of the last two days combined with the shyness of first time lovers. It started out quiet and tentative, neither wanting to make a mistake or do the wrong thing. Slowly it became more comfortable and passionate. Hours later they fell back onto pillows with arms and legs still tangled.

"That was wonderful, Renee," Tony said softly.

"It was," she returned with a smile. "I want it to last, Tony. I know that sounds crazy after one night, but I really want us to make it work. I think we need each other."

Tony nodded. "You were right earlier when you said that I haven't been willing to open my heart. Over the last few years I've made a lot of excuses for not letting myself to get close to anyone, but I'm ready now. I'm happy that we met, even if it was because you were trying to arrest me," he said smiling.

Renee started to laugh. "You better not try to escape, mister!" She playfully poked her forefinger into his ribs. "Remember I've got a gun and handcuffs."

"Now you're just trying to turn me on!" Tony laughed and rolled himself over and on top of Renee. "That sounds like it could be fun," he growled into her ear and could feel her shudder with excitement beneath him.

They made love again before drifting off to sleep wrapped in each other's arms. As an amazingly peaceful sleep overtook him, Tony thought back over the last two days. They had changed his life. He was a hero for a change and not a fugitive. He had the woman who had been hunting him firmly encased in his arms. And it was clear to him, even at this early point in their relationship, that they were falling in love. The nightmare of the last few years was over and, as if he were part of a play, Act II was starting. Tony prayed silently that the playwright was planning a happy ending.


	3. Chapter 3: Bill

_Thanks again for all of the feedback on the first two chapters. Here's the 3__rd__ and final chapter. Hope you enjoy it._

Chapter 3: Bill

Bill glanced into his rear view mirror car and, once he verified that the lane was clear, he indicated a right hand turn and slipped the BMW sports car onto the I-95 North on ramp. He stepped on the clutch and shifted as he accelerated in anticipation of moving from the ramp into high speed traffic on the heavily traveled north-south artery that runs the length of the east coast of the United States. But it was 3:30 in the morning and there was very little traffic.

Like Jack and Tony, Bill came home almost half a day ago from over 24 hours worth of hell and the only thing he could think about was falling into bed and sleeping for about the next three days. He climbed the steps to his loft, Karen's loft really. She had lived there during her stint as National Security Advisor and they still owned the property. He climbed the steps and entered the main room trying to ignore the sophisticated computer equipment that turned what had been a beautiful apartment into his own version of CTU. He continued, oblivious to his surroundings until he reached the bedroom. There, without another thought, he stripped off his clothes and dropped into bed. He was too tired to care that the midday sun was blazing through the windows. Sleep came easily and brought a peace that Bill hadn't felt in a long time.

The next time Bill awoke it was dark. He was a little disoriented but it didn't take long for a flood of bad memories to come back. He suspected that the whole operation bothered him far more than it bothered Jack or Tony. They were used to field work and he wasn't. He had been trained in field ops, but after a couple of years found his real niche in administration. Bill was far better suited to direct the battle from the staging area than to be on the front lines. He wasn't used to bullets whizzing past his head. And the explosion at the White House came a little too close to killing him for his liking. Fortunately, it had worked like a charm. Jack set the whole thing up for himself as a suicide mission, but Bill saw an opportunity and took it. He created a diversion and grabbed a weapon from one of the terrorists and shot him. As he did, another terrorist who happened to be standing just inside the door of the gas-filled room, took aim and fired. Bill had counted on that. He knew that that man would have the best angle to fire. The bullet caught in Bill's vest leaving a nasty bruise just above his heart, but nothing more. The shot, however, created enough of a spark to set off a huge explosion. In the ensuing chaos, he, Jack and Aaron, along with the FBI agents who had just stormed the place, were able to re-take the White House and secure the president. It had been a calculated risk. Bill knew that he could have easily died in the process, but it was a risk worth taking. Looking back he was just happy that it worked so well. Now here he was, in the middle of the night, trying to put his life back together. Grimly it occurred to him that maybe dying would have been easier.

He checked the dashboard clock and mentally calculated his arrival time. Roughly ten hours of drive time from Washington DC to just outside of Burlington, Vermont… and Karen. That was assuming that he could avoid any big backups around the major east coast cities along his route. He would pass through Baltimore and Philadelphia before their rush hours started. New York City, however, would be a problem since he would get there around 7:30. He knew the route well and decided that it was worth some extra miles to avoid New York and its brutal rush hour. With the added mileage and a couple of stops for food and bathroom breaks, he could comfortably plan on arriving at his Vermont home between 2:30 and 2:45 this afternoon.

Bill set his cruise control on 70 and sat back for the ride. He reached for the large Starbuck's coffee in the drink holder and sighed. It was a long drive when you were alone. A lot of time to think. The last time he made this drive was six months ago and that time he was going south from Vermont to Washington. That was just a few days after being contacted by Tony Almeida. Let's talk about life's big shocks. Getting a call from someone who you thought had been dead for over five years certainly changed your perception of reality. Tony's explanation was believable, if not exactly acceptable. It took Bill several days to get over his anger toward Tony and really consider all that his one time colleague and rival for the affections of Michelle Dessler was telling him. The corruption in the government ran deep; deeper than he could have ever imagined, but at the moment there was simply too little proof to take it to the authorities.

But it was over now. Six months of covert work and careful planning. Six months of listening in on conversations and plotting strategy. More people had died than Bill had been prepared for. That was the part he hated. At the same time, more people had been arrested than he had expected, too. And much to his own surprise, he was still alive. He unconsciously rubbed a spot just above his heart remembering the force of the bullet. His ears were still ringing slightly from the noise of the explosion.

Still he had to smile. He was really proud of the work that he and Chloe and Tony and Jack had done. Bringing in Aaron Pierce had been a stroke of genius. Even wounded Aaron was an asset at the White House. This was clearly the best and most important work he had ever done. He honestly had never worked harder in his life.

But now he faced an even more daunting task. Now he needed to put his life back together and move forward. More than anything in the world he wanted to do that with Karen. The question was: would she agree? He nervously adjusted his wedding ring. He hadn't taken the ring off since the day he left Vermont. It hadn't left his hand for even a minute. And in that time, his love for Karen hadn't wavered. She was all he thought about when he got into bed at the end of the day and she was his first thought when he got up in the morning. Bill wondered if Karen felt the same way. He wondered if she still wore her wedding ring.

Bill left Vermont six months earlier without explanation. He didn't want to involve Karen in the operation with Tony. It was dangerous and he knew it. If he told her about it, she would have wanted to be a part of it and he simply could not put her at risk. He didn't mind risking everything for what he believed in but he would never risk Karen. So he left without telling her where he was going or what he was doing. He told her that he needed some time alone; some time to think things through. It wasn't an unbelievable excuse and Karen seemed to accept it.

The four years since the two of them were forced to resign their government positions and accept early retirement had not been without bumps in the road. The two were notorious workaholics. Both were known to put in 10 to 14 hour days on a regular basis. And that was just their office time. Both also maintained an office at home from which they worked additional hours. That was the biggest reason that both of them had failed marriages in their pasts. It was also one of the reasons that they got along so well: they understood each other even when no one else did. And sometimes understanding is as important as love.

Their marriage had never been perfect, but then whose is? It had been a good marriage for the first year. Then Karen became a consultant for Wayne Palmer's presidential campaign and later his National Security Advisor. All of that had driven a bit of a wedge between them. Not a huge wedge, but a distance, both geographical and emotional, that both of them felt. When Karen eventually fired Bill as Director of CTU, that distance became a chasm that made the Grand Canyon look small. They reconciled, but it was difficult especially for the first couple of years. They were dealing with the emotional trauma of the day as well as their new found unemployment - not an easy thing for two professionally driven people to accept. Not to mention the fact that Karen had shattered Bill's trust in her. As much as he tried not to, he found himself questioning her loyalty and commitment to their marriage. Several months into their retirement, Bill and Karen started a new business. They used their previous experience and began to market themselves as consultants to businesses looking for help with both US and foreign government contracts. The business took off and rather than work on their struggling relationship, they both dove headlong into their work and pretended that their personal problems didn't exist.

Over the next three years their marriage floundered. It was clear to both of them that they loved each other but neither was very good at expressing themselves. They rarely argued, in fact they agreed on almost everything, attended many of the same social events, played tennis and golf together and even slept in the same bed. But despite it all, emotionally they were miles apart. So when Bill eventually sat down with Karen and told her that he needed some time and space to think things out, she didn't question him. It didn't seem out of character or an unusual request. She asked him where he was going to go and he gave as few details as possible. He was noncommittal but did admit that he planned to use the loft in Washington at least at first, but also asked her not to try and contact him. He remembered how her eyes filled with tears. She obviously thought he wanted out of the marriage and would eventually come back and ask for a divorce. He hated that he had to hurt her, but there was no other way. He knew when he left that there was a decent chance that he would be killed in course of the operation. Or, if he was lucky enough to survive it, Karen might find someone else in his absence or simply not want him back and he would lose her forever. Those were all chances that he had to take. Now, having survived it all, Bill drove through the early morning darkness. The lights of Baltimore passed on his left as he continued north on the interstate all the while praying that Karen still loved him as much as he loved her or barring that, that she would at least hear out his explanation and give him a second chance.

The monotony of the long drive and two more cups of coffee were just beginning to get to Bill as he exited route 87 in rural New York and crossed the state line into Vermont. It took all of his concentration to maintain his focus. All he could think about was the fact that home was less than an hour away and he had no idea what he was going to say to Karen. "Hi, Honey. I'm home." wasn't going to cut it and unfortunately, he couldn't think of much else to say. A combination of caffeine and nerves had him trembling by the time he pulled into their driveway. Bill closed his eyes for a second before stepping out of the car. This was it. There was no turning back now.

Bill stepped from the car and took a deep breath. He smiled involuntarily. The air was so clear. It was so unlike Washington. He smelled the pine trees and felt the breeze coming off of Lake Champlain. Their property was lakefront and if he looked between the trees, he could see the water lapping at their pier. He couldn't wait to get his kayak back into the water. Nothing cleared his head better than a couple of hours on the lake. Bill quickly put the thought from his mind. Karen had to agree to let him in the house before he could think about kayaking.

Knowing that, he made his way onto the front porch and rang the doorbell. Before he even rang the bell he could hear Sheena, their Siberian Husky, barking frantically. He liked that Sheena was there to protect Karen for the six months that he had been away. She was a gentle dog but her bark was vicious. As Sheena reached the door the tenor of her bark changed. Bill knew that she had caught his scent and recognized him and, as she did, the bark turned to an excited whimper. Karen would immediately know that Sheena knew the person on the other side of the door.

"Easy, Sheena!" Bill could hear Karen say as the dog pawed the door. "Calm down. Let me get to the door, girl."

After what seemed like an eternity, Karen opened the door. Sheena bolted out and jumped up onto Bill, her paws landing just above his waist. Bill hugged her and scratched her ears. "Hi, Sheena! Hello, girl. How have you been?" Slowly, he raised his eyes to look at Karen. "Hello, Karen," he whispered softly. He allowed his gaze to drop to her left hand. Her wedding band still encircled her third finger.

"Bill?" was all that she could muster for a long moment. "Well, this is a surprise."

"I know," Bill said softly in return. "I'm sorry. I was afraid if I called you that you'd refuse to see me. I owe you an explanation."

"That's an understatement!" Karen scoffed.

"I'm sorry, Karen. Please, give a chance to explain. After that you can throw me out if you want. I promise you that if you tell me to go, I'll leave quietly. I just want you to hear me out," Bill said. He scratched Sheena's ears absently as he looked pleadingly at Karen.

Footfalls on the stairs from the bedrooms caught Bill's attention. His heart immediately dropped as he feared that the footsteps belonged to a new man in Karen's life. _But she's still wearing her wedding ring, _he thought hopefully.

"Mom, who are you talking to?" said the voice as it neared the bottom of the steps.

Bill steeled himself as he recognized the voice. "Hello, Isabelle," he said pleasantly.

"Bill?" Isabelle Hayes said incredulously.

Isabelle was Karen's 27 year old daughter from her first marriage. She was like her mother in so many ways. Blond and blue eyed, Isabelle was a striking woman if not a stunning one. She was as strong willed and self confident as Karen. And one of the things she was confident about was that Bill Buchanan was the wrong man for her mother. This wasn't anything new. Isabelle and Bill had butted heads since he and Karen started dating. Fortunately at the time, Isabelle was in college in Chicago. More recently she took a job in New York City which meant she was close enough to plan an occasional visit, but too far away to drop in uninvited. She and Bill had settled into a peaceful relationship over the years, but neither made it a point to be in the other's presence if it wasn't necessary. Within the last two years, Isabelle met the son of the couple that lived next door to Bill and Karen. Isabelle and Seth Reynolds started dating and, just before Bill left Vermont, his stepdaughter was talking about finding a job in Burlington in order to be closer to Seth. Bill had never relished the idea of Isabelle living that close but Karen was thrilled so he managed to stay quiet about it. Their marriage was in enough trouble without him alienating Karen. Now Bill wondered if Isabelle had, in fact, moved to Burlington while he was gone. He glanced down to her hand and noted a large diamond ring which more or less answered his question.

"Whatever you're selling, Mom isn't buying," Isabelle said dismissively.

"I think that's a decision that your mother needs to make for herself. I've already told her that I'll abide by whatever decision she makes, I just want the chance to explain myself."

"There is no explanation for what you did, Bill," Isabelle snapped. "Do you know how much you hurt Mom?"

"Could you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Karen said looking back and forth between them. "Bill, please come inside." Karen stepped back from the door.

"Mother! What are you doing? He walked out on you six months ago. You haven't heard a word from him since and now you're just going to let him waltz back in the door. Have you lost your mind? How many nights have you cried yourself to sleep. Don't let him do this to you. He's hurt you enough as it is. You've just started to get over him!" Isabelle shouted at her mother.

"That's enough!" Karen shouted back. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath to compose herself. When she spoke again it was in a calm, quiet voice. "Belle, I know you're just trying to protect me and I appreciate that. Believe me, I would have had trouble getting through the last six months without having your shoulder to cry on, but I'm an adult. I have to make my own decisions about my life. I'm not walking away from my marriage without at least hearing Bill out. I'm not asking your permission for that; I'm telling you that that's what I'm going to do. So, if you'll excuse us, I think Bill and I need to talk privately."

Isabelle's eyes blazed with anger. She was angry that she had just been chastised by her mother, but she was even angrier that her advice to her mother was going unheeded. "Fine. You do what you want, but don't say I didn't warn you." Mother and daughter stared at each other for a long moment. "Come on, Sheena," Isabelle said when she finally broke the stare. "Let's go for a walk."

Bill and Karen stood silently and watched as Isabelle clipped the leash to Sheena's collar, grabbed a jacket from the entrance closet and stepped out the front door.

"I'm sorry," Bill offered as she left. "Karen, you know I have never wanted to come between you and Isabelle."

"I know," Karen replied softly. "Let's not worry about Belle right now. She'll calm down after Sheena drags her a couple of miles." She smiled obviously amused by the thought.

"Some things never change. I guess Sheena still isn't very good on a leash." Bill smiled in return.

"No, it's still a struggle to walk her. You're the only one who could ever put her on a leash and have her behave," Karen said. She looked uncomfortable as she tried to think of something to say. "I'll make coffee," she offered as she turned to go into the kitchen.

"Could you make it decaf? I had three cups on the way here. I'm a little wired."

"Sure," Karen agreed without turning around.

The silence that surrounded them was awkward. Bill wandered around the first floor of the house. It was just as it had been the day he left. Karen hadn't moved any of the pictures of them or replaced his favorite chair, the one that she never liked. Bill felt compelled to fill the silence. "I take it that Isabelle has moved to Burlington."

"Yes," Karen said from the kitchen. "She found a job about two months ago. She's been living with me."

"When are she and Seth getting married?"

"In October. She liked the idea of the fall foliage and the lake in the background."

"She'll be a beautiful bride," Bill noted.

"I wish you two could get along."

"We don't hate each other. We're just not close. From a stepparent perspective, I think we've been able to coexist better than most."

Silence descended on them again. And again it was Bill who felt a need to fill it. He chose the subject that the two of them always talked about: work. "Are you still working as a consultant?"

"Yes," Karen answered while she busied herself making coffee and getting out their favorite mugs. "The business is going pretty well. We need to expand or upgrade our services or something to make ourselves more competitive. I could use your help. Some of the clients are still asking for you."

"What have you told them?"

"That you took a few months off to travel and to try and assess the business climate in Europe. What was I supposed to tell them? I had no idea where you were," she added without hiding the bitterness in her voice.

"I can only say 'I'm sorry' so many times, Karen. Can we sit down so we can talk?"

Karen nodded. She was obviously flustered. Neither of them had ever been able to handle their emotions very well and Karen was having difficulty now. "I'll pour the coffee," she said. Bill couldn't miss the waver in her voice that told him she was near tears. He hated that he had reduced her to this.

"Maybe I should just go," Bill suggested.

"No, Bill. I don't want you to go. I want to know why you left. You're right. We need to talk."

Bill followed Karen to the kitchen. He watched while she poured coffee into the mugs and then added cream and sugar to her own and stirred. Bill took the cup of black coffee and strolled toward the bay window that gave the most perfect view of the lake. "I've missed this place, Karen, and I've missed you."

"So, where have you been for the last six months?"

"I've been in Washington," Bill said as he sat on the cushioned window seat. Karen sat in a rocking chair that faced the window.

"In Washington, DC?" Karen smiled vaguely.

"Yes," Bill replied.

"You had something to do with the terrorist attack two days ago, didn't you?"

Bill nodded. "I did."

"So, you were working for the government again."

"Not exactly."

"Don't tell me you were working for the terrorists."

"No. I wasn't working for the terrorists either."

"Bill, stop! This isn't a game. There are two options. Either you work for the government or the terrorists. I'm not going to sit here and guess what you've been doing for the last six months while I've been running our business and spending my nights alone. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Karen, this isn't easy to explain."

"Try me! I'm not stupid. If I don't understand I'll ask questions but talk to me, Bill."

Bill stood and started to pace. "Okay. Six months ago I was approached by someone who used to work at CTU about corruption in our government. He had some evidence that the corruption ran through every agency and possibly as high as the President's cabinet. He also had evidence that members of the government were involved with the Juma regime and that there was potential for a terrorist attack. He recruited me for a covert operation."

"What agency were you working for?" Karen asked.

"We weren't. We were working outside of the government."

"You were working for a rogue agency?"

"Basically, yes."

"Who recruited you?"

"You're going to find this hard to believe."

"Tell me who recruited you, Bill."

"Tony Almeida," Bill said matter of factly.

"I don't know what you've been smoking, but whatever it is it's illegal! Tony Almeida's been dead for five years. I was sent over to CTU from Homeland just after he was killed by Christopher Henderson. Remember? We went to Tony's funeral together."

"That's what I thought. Believe me I was as surprised and as suspicious as you when Tony contacted me, but it's the truth." Bill sat back down and ran his hand through his white hair ruffling it slightly. "Let me start at the beginning."

With that, Bill began to explain everything from the time Tony first made contact with him to just over 24 hours earlier when he arrived home after debriefing at the White House. The story took over an hour to tell. Karen sat with rapt attention interjecting or asking questions only once or twice.

"You know," Karen said as Bill finished the story. "When I first heard about the attack on DC, part of me knew that you were there. Somehow I just had this feeling that you were in the middle of the fray. I was so afraid that I was going to get a call or the doorbell was going to ring and someone from the government was going to tell me that you were dead and I needed to identify your body."

"I'm sorry," Bill whispered again. "I never wanted to hurt you, Karen. I hope you understand that."

"Why didn't you just tell me the truth?" Karen asked. "Why did you lie and make me think that you were leaving me?

"If you had known the truth, would you have let me go to Washington alone?"

"No, I would have come with you. I could have helped. I do have some experience with these matters, you know," Karen said sarcastically.

"I couldn't risk you, sweetheart," he said gently. It was the first time he had allowed himself to use a term of endearment. "I knew what kind of a risk I was taking and I didn't want to put you in that same position."

"Shouldn't that have been my choice?"

"Maybe it should have been, but I decided against it. I wanted to protect you because I love you. Is that a crime? I'll admit that maybe I went about it the wrong way, Karen, but it's too late to go back and rectify it. All I can do now is ask for your forgiveness and understanding."

Karen said nothing. Her eyes were filled with tears. Bill took her left hand in both of his and fingered her wedding ring. "You're still wearing this. That must mean something."

Karen withdrew her hand somewhat abruptly. "It might just mean that I didn't want people to ask questions or maybe I just wanted to avoid any advances by other men." Her voice was cool.

Bill averted his eyes and nodded. He could feel his heart breaking. The last six months without Karen had made him realize how much he loved her and the idea that she was rejecting him now made him wish that he had died in the explosion at the White House. Bill stood and walked a few steps away, his mind reeling as he tried to figure out what he could say or do to make Karen feel differently. "I guess it's time for me to go then," Bill said in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry, Karen. I don't know what else to say or how else to say it. I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you." He paused for a moment before turning to exit the room.

"No, Bill! Wait!" Karen called as she stood and ran after him. She caught up with him in the entrance hall just as he was reaching the front door. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that about the ring. I don't want you to go. Please, don't go." She was crying now, big tears chasing one another down her cheeks. "Bill, I love you."

Bill reached for his wife and pulled her into his arms. She clung tightly to him as she cried. "I love you so much and I was so worried about you," she sobbed. She pulled back slightly as she began to compose herself. "Now I understand how you felt four years ago when I fired you. At the time I thought all I should have to do was explain myself and say that I was sorry and our love would make it all okay. I couldn't understand why you didn't see it the same way. Now I get it, Bill. Now I understand why you were so hurt, because I feel the same way. I understand what you did and why you did it. And I know that you're sorry. I know that you never meant to hurt me, but it did hurt and it's hard to let go of that."

Bill pulled her close again. The warmth of Karen's body against him seemed to melt an iciness that had consumed his soul in the last six months. "I hung onto that anger and hurt for far too long, Karen. I wouldn't let it go and, in the process, I damaged our relationship. I know I was wrong four years ago. I love you so much and I'm just praying that you're smarter than I was and that you won't make the same mistake."

Karen said nothing but raised her teary face to Bill's and leaned in for a kiss. It was a long, slow kiss and its intensity grew. Bill finally broke the kiss. He gently wiped tears from Karen's face with his thumbs. "I've got an idea. Let's go to _Lakeside _to celebrate." _Lakeside_ was their favorite restaurant. Set in a big, old Victorian house, the first floor was an elegant restaurant. In the summer, an outdoor café gave an unmatched view of Lake Champlain. The second floor was a wine bar and jazz club called _Claret. _"I can almost taste the lamb chops," Bill said. "After dinner we could go to _Claret _and listen to some jazz."

"That sounds wonderful," Karen said as she smiled. "I'd really like that."

Bill smiled back. "I could even shave for the occasion."

"Don't you dare!" Karen scolded him. She stroked his face. "I love the beard. It's incredibly sexy. So is the longer hair. I just look six months older, but you look wonderful. You were back in your element and you really liked it, didn't you?"

Bill sighed. "The intelligence work was great, but being in the field was a little disconcerting. Tony and Jack do it like it's nothing. Even Aaron Pierce just takes it in stride. He got shot in the shoulder and you would have thought it didn't even happen. He just got up and kept firing. It's not as easy for me. I'm more comfortable behind a desk. I wasn't all that afraid of dying. I was more concerned with how that would have hurt you. That worried me more than anything."

"It's over now. And if you ever get approached about something like this again, you're going to tell me, aren't you?"

"I promise," Bill whispered as he moved his face closer to hers. The two fell into another long kiss and it wasn't until the front door opened, startling them out of their reverie that they looked up, remaining in a close embrace. Isabelle and Sheena entered the house.

Sheena ran immediately to Bill and Karen once Isabelle removed her leash. Isabelle then silently hung up her jacket and the dog's leash without looking at her mother and stepfather. "I'll go upstairs," Isabelle said quietly. "I know you two need some space."

"It's okay, Belle," Karen started. "We've talked everything out. We're going to try again."

"You're an adult," Isabelle said nodding as if agreeing to a business deal. "As Bill said earlier, it's your decision to make. I just want you to be happy, Mom."

"I am happy, Belle. This is what I want. This is what we both want."

"Then I hope it works. Maybe I should go over to Seth's tonight and leave you two alone. I should probably start thinking about moving out. Seth and I have been looking for a house. Maybe we need to speed up that process."

"There's no need for you to leave this evening, Isabelle," Bill said. "And we don't want you to change your timetable for buying a house."

"Bill's right," Karen agreed. "Besides, I thought you were having friends over here tonight.

"I'll call and cancel that. It was nothing special. We were just going to sit down by the lake and build a fire in the fire pit, maybe watch a movie later on. I'll just let them that it won't be convenient."

"Don't cancel," Bill said shaking his head. "Your mother and I are going out tonight. You'll have the house to yourself."

Isabelle looked at her mother who nodded agreement. "We're going to _Lakeside_ for dinner and then to _Claret_. We'll be out late."

Isabelle shrugged. "If you're sure it's okay…"

"It's fine," Karen told her. "That's settled. Now I need to go upstairs and get ready for dinner." Karen squeezed Belle's shoulder as she passed her and then bounced up the stairs. Bill and Isabelle both watched her go.

"Mom hasn't been that happy in a long time," Isabelle said quietly to Bill. "Please don't hurt her."

"Isabelle, there's a lot of things that you and I don't agree on, but the one thing we do agree on is that we both want your mother to be happy. I have no intention of hurting her again. I didn't want to hurt her six months ago, but…"

Isabelle interrupted. "Let me guess; it was a matter of national security. Everything is classified and if you told me, you'd have to kill me." For the first time, she smiled at Bill. "Mom was pretty sure that you were working to stop the terrorist attacks. I guess she was right."

Bill nodded.

"Maybe you two know each other better than I thought you did. Your minds certainly work the same way."

Bill extended his hand toward Isabelle in order to shake. "How about if we call a truce, for your mother's sake?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Isabelle agreed as she took his hand. "I owe you an apology."

"No, you don't. I got what I deserved when I walked in here today."

"Not just for today. I've been too hard on you for as long as you and Mom have been together. You have to understand, I was 15 when Mom and Dad separated. Mom tried to hide it, but she was really hurt when my father told her that he wanted out of the marriage. I remember what it was like and I guess I thought that it was better for her to be alone than to ever be hurt like that again. I just didn't trust that she could make a marriage work."

"And my history isn't much better than hers," Bill offered.

"Not from my perspective. All I could see was two people with failed marriages behind them who looked like that were going to do it all over again. It was wrong of me and I apologize."

"Thank you, Isabelle. I appreciate that. Congratulations on your engagement. Seth is a good man and you two make a wonderful couple. Take all the bad that you've learned from your mother and me and make your marriage work the first time around."

"That's our goal," Isabelle said. "Now you better go get ready to go or Mom's going to be waiting for you for a change!"

"That'll never happen," Bill laughed.

Sheena followed Bill as he went out to his car to get his bags and then climbed the stairs. As he turned to go into the master bedroom suite, he realized that Karen had closed the door. This wasn't anything new. Karen always closed the bedroom door when she dressed and Bill knew that, but standing in front of the door he found himself uncomfortable. When he left for Washington, he had only taken essential clothes. Suits and much of his wardrobe had been left behind. A coat and tie was required for the elegant _Lakeside, _so if he wanted to go, he had no choice but to enter the bedroom and retrieve a suit from the closet. Nervously, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Karen called. "You're allowed to come in without knocking."

Bill opened the door a few inches. Sheena pushed past him, walked into the room and settled down on the floor in front of a sunny window. Bill didn't cross the threshold but leaned in slightly. "I just want to get a suit. Are they still in here or did you move them to another closet?"

"Why would I have moved them? This is your bedroom, too."

"I'll just be a second," Bill said as he opened the closet door to find it unchanged since he left. "I can go over to the guest room and get changed."

Karen stepped from the dressing room into the bedroom in a robe. "Bill, I just said it's your bedroom, too. There's no reason for you to go to the guest room and change."

Bill looked down sheepishly. "It feels a little funny changing clothes in front of you."

"Why? Are you afraid of me seeing you in your underwear?" Karen teased. "I've seen you in a whole lot less, you know."

"Yes, I know that," Bill smiled in return. "It's just that after six months I wasn't quite sure that you wanted me in your bedroom. You're in the pilot's seat here, Karen. When I came back, I knew whether I stayed or not was dependent on you. Now that you've decided that you want me to stay, I'm letting you choose the form that the relationship takes. If you want to take it slow, that's fine. I can sleep in the guest room until you're ready to move forward. I'll follow your lead."

"When I said I wanted to start over, I meant it. I don't want you sleeping in the guest room or putting me in charge of our relationship. It was a partnership from the beginning and that's what I want now. So let's get dressed and go out to dinner and put the last six months behind us."

"Thank you, Karen. You're taking this so much better than I thought you might. I'm grateful for that." Bill smiled an embarrassed smile and moved to his closet.

It only took him a few seconds to pick out his favorite charcoal gray suit, a starched white shirt and a yellow, coin print tie. His back was turned to Karen as he took off the black pullover sweater he was wearing. He was slipping his arms into the white shirt when Karen said something that made him turn towards her. Her eyes immediately fell on the bruise on his chest.

"Wow! That's nasty," she commented. "How did you do …" Karen's eyes widened as realization of the source of the bruise dawned on the former FBI agent. Without saying a word, she closed the space between them and allowed her fingers to trace the margins of the bruise at the apex of his heart. Bill could hear her choke back a sob. "My God, Bill! It would have killed you." She looked up at him and caught his eyes. "The shot would have gone right through your heart," she said softly. He could hear the disbelief in her voice. "You never said that you were hit."

He put his arms around her. "It caught in my vest. I'm fine. That's why I was wearing the vest, honey. I wanted to make sure that I came back to you."

Karen composed herself and they both finished dressing. Bill surveyed Karen in her black cocktail dress that was cut in a deep V at the neck and hugged her curves gently on the way down to where it ended just above her knee. She stepped into strappy high heels and grabbed a short black jacket. Bill held the jacket as she slipped it over her shoulders. "You look gorgeous," he said as he kissed her neck.

Karen smiled back coyly and picked up a silver evening bag. "Ready?" she asked.

Bill responded by clasping her hand firmly in his. Karen followed him out of the bedroom and down the steps. "Belle, we're leaving," Karen called out to her daughter as they neared the door.

Isabelle stepped from the kitchen so she could see them. "You two look great," she smiled.

"Thanks. Don't wait up. It might be late when we get home," Karen told her.

Isabelle laughed. "Well that's role reversal! I'm usually the one telling you that. Have a good time," she told them as she hugged and kissed her mother and then Bill.

Karen looked over at Bill as the two stepped out onto the porch. "So, what happened between you and Belle? I've never seen her hug you before."

"I think we understand each other a little better than we did before. We've agreed to put the past behind us."

"I'm glad," Karen said as she slipped past the car door that Bill had opened for her. "It's hard having the two most important people in my life at odds with one another."

The half hour drive to the restaurant at sunset was pleasant. The sun blazed red and made the choppy lake sparkle beneath it. Bill took his hand from the gear shift and reached for Karen's hand. Neither said a word, but both smiled, clearly understanding that this new chance they had to start over was precious and not to be taken lightly.

The sun had just set when Bill pulled up in front of the restaurant. He helped Karen from the car before handing the keys to the valet at the door. They entered the restaurant and were immediately greeted by the maitre d who knew them by name.

"Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan! It's been months. Where have you been hiding?" he asked.

"I've been out of the country on business," Bill lied.

"It's good to have you back. Is it just the two of you or are you waiting for others?"

"Just the two of us tonight, Harry," Bill said smiling at Karen.

"Could we get a quiet table in the side dining room?" Karen asked.

Harry consulted his list. "It's going to be about a 20 minute wait for a table. If you'd like to wait in the bar, I'll call you as soon as the table's ready."

Bill looked at Karen who nodded in agreement. "Take your time," Bill told him.

Karen walked in front of him into the bar, a room which had served as a library to the original owners of the house. They chose a corner table and shifted the chairs so they were sitting close together. A server appeared less than a minute later and placed cocktail napkins in front of them.

"What can I get for you?"

Bill looked at Karen. "How about a bottle of champagne?"

"I'd love it," she returned.

He consulted the wine list and turned to the server. "A bottle of Pertois Moriset Gran Cru," he told her.

"What are you celebrating? A wedding anniversary?" she asked.

"Sort of," Bill said with a smile.

The young woman looked confused but simply smiled back and retreated to the wine cellar.

Bill and Karen sipped champagne and settled back into comfortable conversation. From there they moved on to dinner, eating and chatting and catching up on the six months that both had missed. The familiarity of the evening, their favorite restaurant, a jazz guitarist and a fine bottle of champagne, made them feel as if the six months past had just evaporated. They ate dessert and drank port as the guitarist took a break between sets. Again they had adjusted their chairs so they sat inches apart.

"Bill, I've dreamed about this evening for the last six months. In my heart I was sure that you'd come back and we'd start over. That dream was about all that kept me sane," she said softly.

Bill reached under the tablecloth and placed his hand just above Karen's knee. He squeezed lightly. "It's what I dreamed about, too."

Karen slipped her hand on top of Bill's. His heart pounded fearing that she was going to move his hand away. _Let Karen maintain control,_ Bill thought. _If she's not ready to be this close then I'll wait._ Instead of moving his hand away, Karen stroked his hand for moment before sliding it a little higher on her thigh.

Bill immediately knew why she did it. It allowed him to feel that she was wearing stockings and a garter, something that she knew turned him on like nothing else. "Oh my God!" Bill whispered into her ear and then kissed her cheek. "You're making me crazy."

"Good," Karen whispered back. "That was the plan."

Bill moved his hand and swallowed hard knowing that if he didn't get himself under control that he wasn't going to be able to stand up anytime soon without embarrassing himself. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Home's a half hour away and Isabelle's there," Karen said breathily. "We'd have to be very quiet," she added.

"You're killing me," Bill said feeling heat flush his entire body. "I'd suggest the car, but it's a two seater and the gear shift would get in the way," he virtually panted.

"Let's get a room," she suggested. "The Vermont House is just down the road."

"They book months in advance."

"Not at this time of year. Call them; I bet they have a vacancy," Karen suggested. She stood and picked up her bag. "I'm going to the ladies' room. I'll be right back."

Bill pulled out his phone as he signaled the server for the check. It took less than a minute to go online and find a phone number for the hotel. Karen returned and sat down just as Bill hung up. "We have the bridal suite," Bill smiled. "A bottle of wine will be chilled and waiting for us."

Karen took her phone from her bag. "I'll call Belle and let her know we won't be home."

"That could be awkward," Bill said not sure why he was embarrassed. His stepdaughter obviously knew that he and Karen slept together.

"Don't worry about it," Karen said. "I know how to handle it," Karen assured him.

Bill got his credit card back from the server, mentally calculated a tip and signed the check as he listened to Karen's end of the conversation.

"Belle, it's Mom. Honey, we've had a little too much to drink." She paused to listen. "Oh, no, Belle, it's nice of you to offer to come and get us, but that would just mean we had to come and get the car tomorrow. No, we'll just get a room for the night." She paused again. "We're going to The Vermont House. It's less than a mile away. Bill's fine to drive that far. I just don't think we should drive the 20 miles back home. We'll be home in the morning, honey. If Seth wants to spend the night, that's fine."

Bill smiled realizing that Karen had just turned them into the responsible couple who wouldn't drive after drinking and deflected the attention away from them and onto the young, unmarried couple they were offering their house to. It was brilliant.

"How was that?" Karen asked.

"You're a genius," he laughed. "That's why I married you."

They drove the short distance to the hotel and parked the car. Karen started giggling uncontrollably as Bill helped her from the car.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I've never checked into a hotel without luggage," she laughed.

"Never?" he asked now beginning to laugh, too. Bill hit the remote lock on the key fob. "Oh, then this is a new experience," he said devilishly. "You know that the desk clerk is going to think we're cheating."

"No he won't," Karen disagreed. "Our wedding rings match."

"What wedding ring?" Bill asked as he slipped his ring off and stuffed it into his pocket as they walked into the hotel lobby. Bill stopped before they got to the desk and turned to Karen. "Are you sure your husband isn't going to wonder where you are when you don't come home tonight?" he said just loud enough to make sure that the desk clerk would hear him.

The young man looked up with interest taking in the scene before him.

At first Karen looked mortified, but just as quickly she decided it would be fun to play along. "Are you kidding? He'll stumble in drunk after the bar closes and pass out in bed. He won't even know that I'm not there. I'll be home tomorrow before he wakes up."

"I don't need him coming after me," Bill said nervously. "You said he has a gun."

Now the desk clerk looked away anxiously.

"He'd have to find the bullets. I hid them." Karen smiled slyly and stroked Bill's face. "Come on now, darling. We've got the bridal suite. Let's not worry about my husband."

Karen strode to the registration desk and smiled at the clerk who was wearing a name tag that identified him as David Winters. After a quick greeting Karen got right down to business. "David, we called a few minutes ago to reserve the bridal suite. The name is Buchanan. Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan."

"Of course, Mrs. … ah… Buchanan. I believe I spoke with your… ah… husba… I mean I spoke with Mr. Buchanan," David said.

Bill looked away in order not to burst out laughing. He scanned the lobby and the parking lot as if still concerned about the sudden appearance of an armed and irate husband.

Check in took a few more minutes before David finally handed Karen the keycard for the bridal suite. Bill stepped over to the bank of elevators and pressed the up button several times while he continued playing the part of the anxious lover. As the elevator door opened he and Karen stepped in and waited for the door to close before looking at each other and laughing. Bill pushed Karen gently but firmly against the side of the elevator and leaned in close. "You're incorrigible," he told her.

"You started it," she fired back.

Bill kissed her hard.

Karen groaned quietly into his mouth. "Are we there yet?" she asked as he let his hands slide down her body.

"Soon," he whispered in return.

"Not soon enough," she hissed as she angled her knee to make her thigh press against him. "I feel like a teenager. God! I want you right now."

Scenes from the movie _Fatal Attraction _raced through Bill's mind. He could just see Michael Douglas and Glenn Close making love in the elevator and for a split second considered the possibility. A second later the elevator door opened and brought Bill back to reality. The two stepped out, moving quickly down the empty hall to the room. Karen's hand shook with excitement as she swiped the keycard to unlock the door. Bill glanced quickly up and down the hall looking for obvious security cameras. When he didn't see any, he pressed against Karen from behind and fondled her insistently. Karen finally got the door opened and she and Bill rushed inside. They put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door and retreated into the suite.

Bill knew that the well known hotel probably had a beautiful bridal suite, but at the moment it was the least of his concerns. All he cared was that he had Karen in his arms and they were stripping clothes off of one another as quickly as possible. They made love frantically first in the suite's front room on the sofa and the floor and then again in bed. They made love long into the night before both collapsed in utter exhaustion onto the pillows. Their bodies were damp with sweat.

"I need a shower," Bill gasped.

"I'm game," Karen answered.

"Are you kidding?" Bill asked. "I'm too tired to even think about it. I haven't had sex like that since I was 19 and that was a long time ago."

Karen laughed. "It did feel like we were trying to finish before we got caught."

"How in the world did you keep up that pace?"

"That was six months of pent up frustration."

"If that's the result, I should leave you more often," Bill suggested.

Karen pulled the sheet up to cover herself and shifted away from him. She sat up leaning against the headboard. "Don't even think about it," she said softly. "Don't joke about that, Bill, please. It's not funny." She glared at him unable to suppress the hurt that their separation had caused her.

Bill immediately sat up and closed the space between them. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't realize how cold that sounded until after I said it. I will never leave you again and I mean it. I love you far too much."

Karen's face softened but her eyes still brimmed with tears. "I'm sorry. I over reacted. I'm just so afraid of losing you."

"Come here," Bill offered as he drew her into his arms and they slid back under the covers. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

Karen kissed him and smiled into the darkness. "I know your kind," she teased. "You're just staying for the sex."

"Maybe you're right. Do you have a problem with that?" he teased back.

"Not at all," she whispered as tilted her head back to kiss him.

"One more time?" he asked hopefully.

"Not tonight, dear. I have a headache," Karen said playfully and rolled over on her side, back facing Bill.

He laughed and curled up against her. He could feel her sigh softly as he wrapped an arm around her and it felt so good. Good enough that he never wanted it to end. And this time, he knew that it wouldn't. This time it was forever. He promised himself, as he had promised Karen earlier, that he wasn't going anywhere, he was never leaving her again. They would love and honor each other until death as they had vowed five years earlier. Somehow, discovering how great their love really was, made the last six months worthwhile, valuable. It gave them an insight they hadn't had before and Bill was grateful. He kissed Karen's neck and nuzzled against her hair inhaling deeply before settling in to a restful sleep.

_Thanks again for reading. Hope you'll take a second and review. I just love reviews! _


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